"I am related to Ghengiis Cahn. So watch what your say!"
A frisky 88 year young gentleman greeted me with these words. Table number 5 often serves more than just nourishment at their Encinitas senior center lunches. Horst Cahn is one of them. I made the mistake of interrupting one of those who survived imprisonment in Auschwitz for three years.
The Encinitas' Li'l Oak Cafe serves lunches to seniors. A donation of four dollars is requested unless your pockets are threadbare. There are Thomas, Abe, Barbara, Gregorio, Ron, Cahn, and me. The lunches are adequate, but not for those with dancing feet. Horse Cahn is are latest visitor to join our table 5 .
"Look. Look at the numbers on my arm!" A muscular right arm shot up. It revealed large numbers tattoo on his arm. He seemed right proud of it. I could not believe him when he told us his age. He was too well equipped for a man of 88 years. No more could I speak. He now took over.
I asked this energetic man how he survived Auschwitz.
"I was very athletic growing up in Essen, Germany. I entered many gymnastic contests and played other sports. I also helped my Dad who worked for their public electric company. Later, my knowledge of electrical work kept me busy. The Germans always needed some electrical work and I was the man."
"When did the Germans arrest you and take you to Auschwitz?"
"They took me and my family in 1942 to the labor camp. My parents went one way, to the gas chambers, and I to the barracks. I was rather happy they died immediately. I would not wanted them to suffer. I was strong and never stopped working. Those who couldn't work were thrown in the ovens and their remains buried in ditches I dug. A commandant walked over to me and told me to follow him. He placed a rifle to my head. I knew his son fought at the front."
"If you shoot me, my God will make sure your son dies. From that moment on, he became my best friend. He fed me extra portions of raw vegetables. We usually were fed potato skins whereas the soldiers ate the potatoes."
Who rescued you?
"First I was one of ten survivors of a death march. The Germans wished to hide themselves since the Russians had broken through their lines. They had me at the head of the line. The Russians found only one hundred in the camp. Fifty later died. As long as they had this marching detail, they avoided going to the front to be confronted by Russians."
"After they fed us some vegetables, I asked them for warm clothing. They told me to remove the clothes from the dead German soldiers. Being Jewish, I had to obey the commandments. 'Thou shall not steal."Only one hundred remained from the camp out of 4000. Of those 100, fifty soon died. I weighed no more than eighty pounds at the end of the war. I ended up in Czechoslovakia and a farmer took me in. Soon I regained the lost weight.
"The German farmer came to my room and told me he had hired a girl 'Just right for you. Do you wish to meet her?' I found her just wonderful and attractive. We were married by a Jewish rabbi within the year. A military Transport out of Germany took us to America. We moved to Rochester, New York in 1955 and I became a chef. In 1975 I bought a home in La Jolla and later sold it. I opened up a deli in Cardiff and bought a home not far from there.
The next day Horst was at it again. No matter who is speaking, he always interrupts with, "Do you want to know something? Do you wish to know why my barber charges me more for a haircut?" He removed his cap and reveals a scalp that reminds everyone of the Sahara Desert. "It takes him a long time to find a place to cut."
"Hey you, don't sit so close to Barbara. she is my girl friend." Teh It is one of the best meals Encinitas has had for our senior lunches." Barbara is the 84 year old who is related to the wife of Henry the Eighth.
"I know you immigrated first to Rochester, New York. What job did you have?"
"I worked as a chef for several years." Barbara pipes in.
"Did you know Eastman Kodak began there." Barbra's piano playing has improved from three months ago. Then, she asked "God to take her to heaven". Now heaven can wait as she has found a new lease on life. She is related to Henry the Eight since her heritage can be traced back to the Green family and the sixth wife of Henry the Eight.
"Hey Horst, how can you survive for three years on potato skin soup and vegetables?"
"Well I want to tell you something. I used my ingenuity or head to survive. I did all of the electric maintenance in the camp. The Germans told me to replace old bulbs with new ones. I only replaced a few and sold the brand new ones to other Germans. I was always selling something to buy enough food for my starving body."
"I want to tell you something! Do you see these scars on my two wrists?" He showed me his wrists. "Well, ,my six friends placed bandages over them. Do you know I lived while they died.
"Do you know why I am bald? Can you grow grass on the freeways?"
I still try to find out why he was one of only a hand full to survive. Then a light bulb came on. "The Germans told me to replace old light bulbs with new ones. I did not change a few of the old ones and sold the new bulbs to other Germans.
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