Liberation and being reunited
Now, after the Americans had occupied
our area I lingered around the soldiers.
After all I was a sharp, inquisitive almost
15 year old youngster. When the soldiers
would flip a cigarette butt we kids would
pick it up off the street and kept on
smoking. Quite often we begged from the
soldiers with sayings like the following:
'cigarettes for papa, chocolate for mama,
soap for the baby, and chewing gum for
me!' Most of the time we’d get something.
Apparently it was at such an occasion,
that an American talked to me; a German-Jewish soldier from New York by the
name of Cahn.
1945 in Hoensbroek, the Eisemann/ Daniel family
- From the left, back row: Alfred Strauss, Isidor
Eisemann, unknown person, seated: Mr. Daniel,
Herta Eisemann née Daniel, Mrs. Daniel
Alfred literally clung to the soldier all the time, since he was like a first trace of his lost family.
The news of Alfred’s rescue reached his aunt, Tony Goldner nee Wertheim, via Cahn’s wife in
New York in a miraculous way; right away on November 19, 1944 she mailed a letter to her
sister Berny and other relatives to tell them the good news. This certain Cahn, who obviously
was stationed in Holland for just a short period of time, told his wife in a letter about Alfred,
irrespective of the subsequent efforts by Lt. Lipschutz, of whom we’ll still read.
