Keeping a nearly 70-year-old promise

Cedarhurst resident Leibel Zisman, 82, came to the U.S. from Poland in 1946, at age 15, having made a promise to a stranger during the Holocaust to tell the world what happened to the 6 million Jews who were slaughtered.

In the fall of 1944 and the spring of 1945, thousands of Jewish prisoners from several concentration camps, weakened by starvation and countless acts of violence, were forced to go on what was called a death march. They were forced to walk to a new concentration camp, and along the way, those who could not keep up were shot to death.

Zisman, who had been walking for hours, was called over by a man who was lying on the ground. “The man raised his head and shouted, ‘You will survive the war. Tell them what they did to us,’” Zisman recalled. “Then he died in front of me. I don’t know how he knew I would survive, but he did.”

When Matt Mindell, a Woodmere resident and the executive director of the Manhattan-based Jewish Enrichment Center, heard about Zisman through a member of the JEC, he called him and was awed that Zisman had survived the concentration camps. “His spiritual bravery was enormous,” Mindell said. “He became someone who thrived.”

During a conversation in 2010 about a JEC trip to Poland to visit concentration camps planned for that August, Mindell invited Zisman, and filmed a documentary about the experience. “He inspired everything,” Mindell said. “I wanted to create the film from a personal story, and I felt like in order for the story to be told, it had to be told from a perspective people could relate to. Though this is a Jewish tragedy, it’s not just for Jews, it’s for everyone. Genocide hits home.”

Joe Kavitski, the cinematographer, editor and co-producer of the documentary, “The Lion of Judah,” said it was important to make the film. “It’s mind-boggling that during the 1940s, 6 million people were systematically slaughtered and people don’t know a lot about it,” Kavitski said. “Most people know the basic facts, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions, and if we don’t talk about it, in time it will be forgotten. It’s unfortunate because we think we’ve learned [from the Holocaust] and moved on, but genocide is still happening today.”

Mindell said he hopes “The Lion of Judah” motivates viewers. “I feel that, ultimately, it will inspire people to do good and change in a positive way,” he said. “I hope it will have a positive impact on them and that they see the Holocaust through different eyes, and that the more people see it, the more people will do good and help our universe.”

Though Zisman, who wrote the book “I Believe: The Story of One Jewish Life” about his experiences, has kept his promise to the stranger who told him he would survive the Holocaust, he still does not feel complete. “I had the greatest father you could think of — he was unbelievable,” he said as a tear ran down his face. “I tried to find another man to emulate him, but I couldn’t even come close. I had a mother, father, sister, brother, aunts and uncles … and they’re not here. They perished.”

Despite his loss, Zisman was determined not only to survive, but to succeed. After he and his older brother, Berel, came to the U.S., he graduated from high school and college and later became a professor and architect before meeting his wife, Myrna. The couple have three daughters, 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. “G-d was good to me,” he said. “I never dreamed this would happen.”

Myrna, who has accompanied her husband on several trips to Poland to revisit the concentration camps that now stand as memorials, said she believes it is vital for her husband to tell his story. “Before it was only a story,” she said. “[While in Poland] I was faced with the reality of what he went through, and I pray that he will continue to be well and tell his story so that people will never forget.”

“By no means was it easy, but I did what I had to do,” Zisman said. “I was determined and I fought the odds.”

“The Lion of Judah” will be released on Amazon, Netflix and iTunes in September. To learn more about the film, visit www.thelionofjudahfilm.com.