A Promise To Mom Fulfilled: Holocaust Survivor From Wayne Dies

WAYNE, NJ —Raymond Fishler was sitting in his home in Kazimierza Wielka, Poland at about midnight one day in 1939. He was looking at the stars, wondering what the future held.

But the 14-year-old's world was shattered just five hours later when Nazi soldiers marched through and liquidated the town.

His mother told him, while they were rushing to hide from the troops, what he should do if he somehow managed to survive the concentration camps:

"Promise me you'll go to America, to my sister, and tell the world what they did to us."

And tell it he did.

Fishler, 93, of Wayne, formerly of Fair Lawn, died Nov. 19 of pancreatic cancer. He and his father, Selig were the only members of his family to survive the Holocaust. His three brothers, Mendel, David, and Moshe; sisters, Sarah and Leah; and mother, Rachel died.

Fishler wrote about his experiences during World War II in a book titled "Once We Were Eight," which was published in 2014.

"There have been many moments in my life when I could have died and should have died, but I was spared," Fishler said in the prologue to his book. "Many people were leading happy and productive lives in my town, my country, and throughout Europe, until they experienced the horrific things that people are capable of doing to their fellow human beings. That's why it's important for me to tell my story."

After hearing his mother's fateful words, Fishler and his older sister, Sarah, hid from the Nazis in a barn that belonged to a non-Jewish family, but they were later found, along with the rest of his family, Laura Fishler, his daughter, said.

They were taken to the Krakow Jewish ghetto. Later, his father, and sister, Sarah were taken to the Plaszow labor camp.

Fishler and his father were able to stay together at the Plaszow camp for two years. They were taken on death marches to several concentration camps from January to April 1945. They ran away while on one of them and hid in a nearby barn where 50 German Air Force deserters were. American soldiers later rescued them.

"They thought they were dead when they saw the troops, but one of the soldiers asked them if they wanted something to eat and that's when they knew they were going to be OK," Laura Fishler said. "At one point, when he came out of the camps, he said he lost his faith in God, but when he was in the displaced persons camp, he saw people go to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kipper services and that restored his faith."

Sarah Fishler was assigned to work as an assistant to Amon Goth at the Plaszow concentration camps and saw him torture and kill people, just like the Goth character played by the actor Ralph Finnes in "Schindler's List." Goth would often gather up assistants and look for excuses to punish and torture them.

"She lived in fear that she would be singled out and killed as well and chose to commit suicide," Laura Fishler said.

Fishler's brother, Mendel, died in the Flossenberg concentration camp on April 10, 1945. Fishler was not sure when his other relatives died. He commemorated their deaths in October.

To many, Fishler was so unique and well-liked. He was almost incapable of hatred, despite everything he experienced.

"My father was probably as close to being a good person was there is in humanity," Laura said. "It was a mystery that he went through what he did and he did not have any hatred toward anyone. He was able to seek out the good in people."

Fishler would go on marches later in life, but these were the March of the Living. He took students on 10 marches from Auschwitz to Birkenau, the largest concentrate camp built during World War II. The annual march is an educational program that brings students from the world to Poland where they see the remenants of the Holocaust.

Rhoda, Fishler's wife of 60 years, called him "amazing."

"He made me a better person," she said. "He was very personable. He was like a rolling stone. He kept gathering a lot of moss. He had a myriad of friends across all ages."

Fishler immigrated to the United States in August of 1949 and worked in the garment industry and eventually opened his own business.

In addition to his wife and daughter, Fishler is survived by his son, David and grandchildren, Brian, Melissa, Ariel, and Daniel. Fishler is interred at Riverside Cemetery in Saddle Brook.

"He always taught us never to lose hope. Always seek out the good in people," Laura Fishler said. "Speak up if you see an injustice."

Editor's note: Donations in Raymond Fishler's memory may be made to: Shomrei Torah, 30 Hinchman Ave, Wayne, N.J. 07470, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place SW, Washington, D.C. 20024 or Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10065.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photo: Raymond Fishler on a March of the Living, one of 10 he went on. (Courtesy of Laura Fishler)