A light breaks through the darkness.
It is almost impossible to have any emotions other than sadness and despair when thinking about one of the worst times in history. The Holocaust reminds us of what should never take place again. Sometimes, however, there are reminders from this dark time that are truly inspiring.
One family’s connection to the Holocaust brought them together, not in tragedy, but in celebration when a long-lost family heirloom was returned to them.
Nearly 80 years ago, the Leiter family hid their precious 1874 Hebrew Bible and other personal effects in the walls of their home in Oberdorf, Bopfingen, Germany to keep them safe from Nazi possession.
Sadly, Eduard and Ernestine Leiter were murdered at the Nazi death camp, Treblinka.
Although the Leiters perished in the Holocaust, their Bible remained safe and was miraculously found years later in 1990 when the home was undergoing renovations. The family who owned the house decided to keep it safe for nearly 30 years before selling it on eBay to Gerhard Roese, an art historian, for $75.
With one look, Roese knew the Bible was special.
Weighing 22lbs, and measuring 30 inches long and 3 inches high, this Bible had to have some historical significance.
Roese donated the Bible to a local synagogue close to the home where it was discovered and it caught the eye of Jo-Ellyn Decker, a researcher and reference librarian at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Decker found a postcard inside the Bible that gave her the information she needed to determine its original owner.
Sadly, the Leiter family never made it back to retrieve their Bible or property. The only family left was their son, Sali.
Decker’s perseverance led her to discover that Sali had changed his name to Charles and moved to America. She could then track down 27-year-old Jacob Leiter, Sali’s great-great-grandson.
“At first, I was kind of shocked…We really didn’t speak too much about my great-great-grandparents.” – Jacob Leiter
Jacob reached out to his 94-year-old grandmother, Susi Leiter, who was a child Holocaust survivor. After corresponding with Decker over the course of a few months, Jacob and his grandmother learned a lot about their family.
It wasn’t long before the Bible would be delivered to Jacob and Susi by a US Holocaust Memorial Museum representative.
“I just think that with all the terrible terror and inhumanities in this world, I can’t believe that I have such pleasure and such magic that I should live to see something that remains of the Holocaust that is good — and that’s the Bible…There’s nothing else good to remain from there.” – Susi Leiter.
Jacob looked at the entire experience as one he will never forget.
“I kept saying throughout the whole process how lucky I am that I have my grandmother to experience this with,” he said. “Just doing this in its entirety with her is something I’ll remember forever.” – Jacob Leiter
Posted by Heilige Schrift der Israeliten onThursday, May 20, 2021
Jacob and Susi’s story was featured on Heilige Schrift der Israeliten’s Facebook page, which translates to ‘Holy Scripture of the Israelites.’ They posted this message along with pictures of Jacob and Susi and their family Bible.
“The Bible is in the hands of the descendants of the Eduard and Ernestine leaders murdered in Treblinka – finally! Seventy-nine years after being walled, the granddaughter-in-law and the great-great-grandson hold their Bible in their hands. This last will of Eduard and Ernestine Leiter has therefore been fulfilled. Hallelujah! – Heilige Schrift der Israeliten
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