When the World War II began, my grandfather, Leo Heiman, was only a
child Ð 12 years old. He and his family lived in Warsaw, Poland. The
German aircrafts flew over the city and bombed it. His father, Dov (Boris)
Heiman, who owned a pharmacy in the main street of Warsaw Ð Tlomackie,
felt that a bad thing was going to happen to his family and understood
that the war would be horrible. They left their home quickly, left behind
all their belongings and memories and went out of the city to the Russian
border. The way was very hard and frightening to all of them. They paid
a bribe to a farmer who took them by a wagon to my great-grand motherÕs
pitch factory in Baranowicze. The whole family got together. The hoped
that the Germans would not hurt them because the German needed the pitch
which was made by our family. One day, while the children were playing
in the forest nearby the factory, the Germans came because somebody informed
the Germans about them. They had luck because every morning they went
to hide in the forest and late in the evening they returned. When they
heard that the German soldiers came, the family decided to leave the
factory and to run away deep into the forest. They joined a PartisansÕ
group after few days without sleeping and eating. The Russian partisansÕ
condition for joining their group was Ð if they steal food from the farmers
and steal weapons. Since my grand-grand father, Dov, was a leader and
a special man, he succeeded in gathering many Jews to the group. They
went in the night on ambushes to the German soldiers. The partisans killed
many Germans. One night in 1942 shots were heard and Dov the leader decided
to take responsibility and went out from his hiding place, deep in the
ground. The German soldiers killed him by gun and ran away. My grand-grand
mother, Elka, and my grandfather Leo, found DovÕs dead body. The entire
group started running into the forest frightened. Leo, who was only 15,
didnÕt stop crying and decided not to leave his fatherÕs body in the
snow, so he came back at night and buried his father deep in the snow.
Before he did it, he took two buttons from DovÕs pocket, a piece of mirror,
a spoon and a handkerchief full with blood (all of these objects are
in my house in Petach Tikva, Israel.) When the war ended, my grandfather
and his mother came to Israel and lived in Haifa. Leo was an Israel soldier
Ð he was an officer in the intelligence Israeli army. After the army
period, Leo became a reporter and a writer. He wrote a book which is
called ÒI was a soviet guerillaÓ and other books and articles. He had
a special and hard experience when he was chosen to be one of the reporters
who were witnesses to the execution of Eichmann. Leo felt
that he owed it to his family. He died when my mother was only
6 years old from a heart attack. I am dedicating this story to him and
to my beloved grandmother Ð Nana Heiman who lives in Haifa and I am sorry
that I donÕt have the opportunity to know such a special person like
him.
Amity Waisel, grade 9
Gail and Omer Waisel
Petach Tikva, Israel
When the World War II began, my grandfather, Leo Heiman, was only a
child Ð 12 years old. He and his family lived in Warsaw, Poland. The
German aircrafts flew over the city and bombed it. His father, Dov (Boris)
Heiman, who owned a pharmacy in the main street of Warsaw Ð Tlomackie,
felt that a bad thing was going to happen to his family and understood
that the war would be horrible. They left their home quickly, left behind
all their belongings and memories and went out of the city to the Russian
border. The way was very hard and frightening to all of them. They paid
a bribe to a farmer who took them by a wagon to my great-grand motherÕs
pitch factory in Baranowicze. The whole family got together. The hoped
that the Germans would not hurt them because the German needed the pitch
which was made by our family. One day, while the children were playing
in the forest nearby the factory, the Germans came because somebody informed
the Germans about them. They had luck because every morning they went
to hide in the forest and late in the evening they returned. When they
heard that the German soldiers came, the family decided to leave the
factory and to run away deep into the forest. They joined a PartisansÕ
group after few days without sleeping and eating. The Russian partisansÕ
condition for joining their group was Ð if they steal food from the farmers
and steal weapons. Since my grand-grand father, Dov, was a leader and
a special man, he succeeded in gathering many Jews to the group. 
They
went in the night on ambushes to the German soldiers. The partisans killed
many Germans. One night in 1942 shots were heard and Dov the leader decided
to take responsibility and went out from his hiding place, deep in the
ground. The German soldiers killed him by gun and ran away. My grand-grand
mother, Elka, and my grandfather Leo, found DovÕs dead body. The entire
group started running into the forest frightened. Leo, who was only 15,
didnÕt stop crying and decided not to leave his fatherÕs body in the
snow, so he came back at night and buried his father deep in the snow.
Before he did it, he took two buttons from DovÕs pocket, a piece of mirror,
a spoon and a handkerchief full with blood (all of these objects are
in my house in Petach Tikva, Israel.) When the war ended, my grandfather
and his mother came to Israel and lived in Haifa. 
Leo was an Israel soldier
Ð he was an officer in the intelligence Israeli army. After the army
period, Leo became a reporter and a writer. He wrote a book which is
called ÒI was a soviet guerillaÓ and other books and articles. He had
a special and hard experience when he was chosen to be one of the reporters
who were witnesses to