This is Henry Slucki-
I had the honor and privilege to speak with Henry and hear his amazing story. The thing that struck me the most was that he kept saying how lucky he was. When we asked him what his message to the world was he said “ Never again to anyone anywhere! We must respect all human life”
All the more powerful coming from a man who spent his early years fleeing the Nazi’s.
We have SO much to learn from our survivors and we must do everything to keep their stories alive. 🙏🏽❤️
This is his story-
Born in Paris in 1934 to Polish-Jewish immigrants, Henry spent the war years as a child on the run. When the Nazis invaded France in 1940, Henry’s father, David, realized early on that Paris was no longer safe. The family fled south toward the Vichy-controlled “Free Zone.” During this period, they lived in a state of a terrifying “gray zone” where a person isn’t exactly a criminal, but they have no real legal protection either. Henry’s father used his skills as a tailor to maintain a sense of normalcy, but the threat of deportation was constant. As the net tightened around foreign-born Jews, the family had to move repeatedly to stay one step ahead of the French police and the Gestapo.
In late 1942, shortly after the massive roundup in Paris, they realized that even the “free zone” was becoming a trap. Along with his parents and younger brother, Henry (who was only 8 years old) undertook a dangerous journey across the mountains to reach Spain. Upon crossing into Spain, the family was actually arrested by Spanish authorities. However, being arrested in Spain often meant being sent to an internment camp rather than a death camp.
The Slucki family was held in several Spanish towns and eventually moved to a refugee camp in Casablanca, Morocco. Conditions were difficult but they were finally out of the reach of the Nazis.
In 1944, they were granted passage on a ship to the United States as part of a small, select group of refugees. They arrived at Fort Ontario in Oswego, New York, the only emergency refugee shelter established by the U.S. during the war. Henry eventually became a professor at USC.
Photos by @brycethompson
Emmanuelle ChriquiInstagram4d
