Kalmen and Yossi began reciting the chapter in earnest, and when they finished they stretched out their hands waiting for the mann to fall into it. When nothing happened, Kalmen said, “In our haste we must have left out some words, let’s say it again.”
They repeated it slowly pronouncing every word clearly, stretched out their hands again and this time they looked heavenward. But the mann did not materialize.
“Let’s say it in Hungarian” – their native tongue – “so we can understand it better and can say it with more kavana,” advised Kalmen.
They never prayed with so much passion before. They poured their hearts and souls into it. They were sure the mann would come this time. But it did not.
“Maybe it will come tomorrow,” Kalmem tried to hold back his tears, but couldn’t. They both cried in desperation. They cried for their parents, for their life as it used to be and most of all they cried from hunger. The two children cried themselves to sleep.
At dawn the next day, a German doctor came into their barrack. Everyone stood at attention, as Dr. Heller announced, “Who amongst you speaks German?”
Kalmen did not know what to expect and hesitantly raised his hand along with some others. Heller pointed his finger at four of the starving men.
“You, you, you, and you.” Kalmen was the last to be chosen.
“What is your name?” He asked in German.
“Kalmen Gottesman.”
“How did you learn to speak German?”
“My father sent me to a German public school,” Kalmen answered.
For some reason the doctor took a liking to him and kept him to work for himself. The rest of the men were sent to work at other places.
It turned out that Dr. Heller was Jewish. Because of his profession, his services were needed by the Germans, and he got preferential treatment. He took Kalmen to his room and to the boy’s great delight gave him something to eat. Then he explained, “My wife is gentile so she was spared from this misery. She is allowed to send me packages from outside, mostly food.”
Heller was in charge of running a so called “hospital.” The sick were brought here to prevent them from contaminating the rest of the people. Unfortunately, most of them were never to be seen or heard from again. Heller had no control over this.
“Your job will be to keep the place clean, wash the floors, run errands and translate for people who do not speak German,” said the doctor.
Heller became Kalmen’s mentor, and for now life was more bearable. He supplied him with extra portions of food, and every night he was able to smuggle some of it back to his barrack for his brother Yossi.
Unfortunately, most people perished. They were either killed or could not survive the deprivations and torment of this hellhole, and the brothers’ suffering was far from over. But that day Hashem heard the cries of two orphaned boys, and sent them the lifesaving mann.
