"Don't Give Up" - The Story of Roman Gessler

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  • Опубліковано 21 бер 2022
  • Roman Gessler was born in 1937 in Bielsko-Biala, southern Poland, to his parents Eduard and Dora Gessler. He had two siblings, Elek and Lili. In 1938, Elisabeth Leja Hedwig, a Polish Catholic nanny of ethnic German descent (Volksdeutsche), joined the family. She was hired to assist in the care of the three children. Following the German occupation in September 1939 the family was forced to flee eastward. After reaching the city of Lwow (today Lviv), Roman's mother committed suicide. Elisabeth decided to stay and help care for the children. At the end of 1941 Roman's father and older brother Elek were able to escape to Budapest, while Lili and Roman stayed with Elisabeth. In March 1942, she decided to follow Eduard and Elek and headed with the children to Hungary, crossing a treacherous path through the Carpathian Mountains. They eventually managed to reach Budapest. In August 1944 the family continued to Romania where they remained until the end of the war. After the war, Roman moved to Vienna, where he completed his studies. He immigrated to Israel, enlisted in the IDF and fought as a paratrooper in the Sinai War, including at the Battle of the Mitla Pass. Once completing his army service he returned abroad, living in different countries and working in programming and computers. Roman married and had children and grandchildren.

КОМЕНТАРІ • 65

  • @lorettajones5076
    @lorettajones5076 2 роки тому +42

    All peoples all over the world should watch these videos...and REMEMBER and know to Never give up for freedom.

    • @myramorosco5423
      @myramorosco5423 2 роки тому +7

      Don’t Give-Up ever and Never ever Forget. What we don’t remember can happen again. Thank you for sharing your very real experience.

  • @seemarajderkar3019
    @seemarajderkar3019 Рік тому +26

    Thanks Roman Gessler, for sharing your touching, heartwarming and incredible story of survival.
    You all did not give up and thats why you survived !!!
    Felt sad about the unknown fate and disappearing of your dear mother.
    Hats off to your nanny Elizabeth / Elly.She was really a Godsend saviour for your family!!
    Roman must be 86 now. Wish Roman,Alek and Lilly peaceful, happy years ahead.
    The documentries produced by Yad Vashem are superbly wonderful !!
    They are doing a great job by preserving the priceless memories, stories of the survivors of the Holocaust and sharing them with the world!!

  • @rsi4561
    @rsi4561 Рік тому +6

    NEVER FORGET.. if they can do it once.. it can happen again.

  • @stephaniestanley8041
    @stephaniestanley8041 Рік тому +10

    Challenges and danger we will never know. It is the people that experienced this torture that know what life really is, living their lives with courage and purpose. Shalom ❣️. Roman's story defies everything.

  • @realitycheck6
    @realitycheck6 2 роки тому +50

    I am incredibly grateful that we are able to watch and learn from these people who suffered so much and have been willing to share their experiences and history. Forever grateful, as my heart breaks that such things happened and continue to happen. I love and deeply respect these people for their strength and courage.

  • @micheled6111
    @micheled6111 2 роки тому +29

    Deepest respects to your family and your father for not giving up. Thanks for telling your story.

  • @tkomla
    @tkomla Рік тому +4

    Beautiful story. "Don't give up, ever, ever. Don't give up. "

  • @plutarcoflores9766
    @plutarcoflores9766 2 роки тому +21

    Right. Keep the Faith! Don’t Give Up !
    Blessings, Shalom 🙏🏽

  • @ImkereiOswald
    @ImkereiOswald Рік тому +8

    A very important and moving testimony. One grandfather of mine was drafted by a German pre-military organisation (RAD) in 1935 as a 15 year old, and was 1937 integrated into the German Army (Heer), where he had to fight and serve until may 1945 (ten years in service). He already passed away when I was 4 years old, so I never had the chance to talk to him about the invasion of poland etc. These Yad Vashem videos are important to shed a little light in our history, Israeli history as well as German history. Israels right to its own country should not be questioned by anyone. The video also teaches me, that a two-state-solution is always bad (remeber when poland was parted as mentioned in the video). Judea and Samaria should be fully recognized as Israeli homeland (my personal opinion). Many historical wisdoms and truths can be gleaned from these film testimonies.

  • @henrybostick5167
    @henrybostick5167 2 місяці тому

    It is with heartfelt gratitude that I say, Thank you Mr. Gessler for sharing your story with us. I thank God every day that I am a free man born in a free land, and stories like yours help me to never minimize the gift of freedom from God, and the lengths some had to go to get what was freely given to me. I will remember your story the next time adversity tried to get me to "give up"....

  • @bonniegayleneloyd3460
    @bonniegayleneloyd3460 2 місяці тому

    I agree. My heart hurts so much. All should see this. It will always be repeatable in some way if we don’t remember. I’m 72 yet somehow missed this in school. We must never forget. G. Loyd

  • @mistyrose3042
    @mistyrose3042 Рік тому +17

    Its really very sad that Roman's mother disappeared like this and whats more tragic is that there was no information about why she did that. He must have thought all his life about why his mother went away leaving the entire family behind

    • @elliesings9508
      @elliesings9508 Рік тому

      A little girl said that the mother fell out of the window. She could've been pushed or thrown out of the window.

    • @slydoll7877
      @slydoll7877 Рік тому +1

      she jumped out of the window and died...she killed herself. Unless the little girl was confused and someone pushed her. It's possible, if she killed herself that she could forsee the horrors to come and couldn;t take it.

  • @jeffreyboone2406
    @jeffreyboone2406 Рік тому +1

    Your fathers determination to keep his children safe is so admirable.

  • @outfctrl
    @outfctrl Рік тому +3

    Excellent story. God Bless you and ALL yours. My Dad was in the US Army at the time and fought in the "battle of the Bulge"

  • @Itiswell49
    @Itiswell49 Місяць тому

    Thank you for this story. It was unique of all the stories I’ve heard and this family avoided the camps.

  • @JordannaGessler
    @JordannaGessler Рік тому +2

    What a moving experience- thank you Roman for your strength!

  • @helenh493
    @helenh493 Рік тому +1

    WOW! What a Story! What an incredible but dangerous experience for Roman, his siblings and father endured. and more importantly, survived! It is a very good and important Life lesson, to "Never Give Up".. and "never give in", even if all looks lost, and all looks hopeless... Never lose hope.. keep putting foot and site forward.. not backward. I'm so happy the Gessler family all came through ok. But, was sad for his poor mother. I am guessing only, but I believe when Romans father left her and alone with all their children, it was too much for her to handle. She may have thought he wouldn't or couldn't come back (for obvious reasons).. she lost hope, and the thought overwhelmed her. There had to be good reason for her to end her life so abruptly. Its not just that she had small children she'd left behind, but she was religious, a devout person doesn't commit suicide, they are taught at an early age its a huge sin, its as murder just to oneself.. some religions teachings and beleaf is you won't go to heaven with this sin on your soul. So, I feel very sorry for Roman, his siblings, And his mother. May she had found some peace in her afterlife. And Bless Romans father and Elizabeth for their courage and faith and heart, to keep forging forward and always finding their way, their path through the hell they had to take to get them all to safety. Bless them all.

  • @familywu3869
    @familywu3869 25 днів тому

    Thank you for your testimony!

  • @charvitale8590
    @charvitale8590 Рік тому +2

    An absolute inspiration... Loving beauty everlasting...Full of grace...I'm deeply saddened for you experience; however, I am extremely grateful that your here and came shine with such amazing grace....🙏❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😇💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋

  • @ralphrotten9030
    @ralphrotten9030 2 роки тому +16

    Not for nothing but knowing this story is one of SO MANY one cannot help but think that these people could be justified had they mentally and emotionally shut down and refused to be constructive members of society going forward in their lives….. yet they DID NOT. all it took was Covid and reinterpreted history for the US in 2020-2022 for the country to head into cultural decline spearheaded by a perception of victimhood

    • @wednesdayschild3627
      @wednesdayschild3627 Рік тому +1

      The 2019 to 2022 whining and catastrophizing has been epic, that is certain.

  • @anningram9311
    @anningram9311 Рік тому

    After all the hardships....what a great motto "Don't give up". A lesson for all of us.

  • @nataliemeenakshithegreat7780
    @nataliemeenakshithegreat7780 2 роки тому +4

    What a beautiful kitchen behind I noticed listening ❤️

  • @SophieMojsiejenko
    @SophieMojsiejenko 2 роки тому +8

    I wish I had spoken to my father more

    • @stephaniestanley8041
      @stephaniestanley8041 Рік тому +1

      Sophie, please don't regret your relationship with your father. Mine died when I was 19 so many years ago. He was the most important person in my life and he is with me every day. Your father is with you.

  • @lorettajones6120
    @lorettajones6120 Рік тому +4

    Thank you sir for this story It does make a difference!!!

  • @tomascormos5794
    @tomascormos5794 Рік тому +2

    Extraordinary people we can learn from

  • @ericahalmai8490
    @ericahalmai8490 2 роки тому +3

    Amazing 😻 men, he is an inspiration for all of us 💗🌻

  • @melodygreen5029
    @melodygreen5029 10 місяців тому

    What a precious beautiful man!

  • @dawnemerson3604
    @dawnemerson3604 Рік тому +2

    Thank you

  • @midnaurthqua6773
    @midnaurthqua6773 Рік тому +3

    Such brave people⚘🙏🏼

  • @anajardimbr
    @anajardimbr Рік тому

    Such a beautiful story!❤️

  • @lisaschuster686
    @lisaschuster686 Рік тому +2

    Thank you for liberating Bucharest!
    Survival of the fittest.
    A surprising number of people killed themselves at the outbreak of war.

  • @nataliemeenakshithegreat7780
    @nataliemeenakshithegreat7780 2 роки тому +4

    Incredible survivors Hashem

  • @seemarajderkar3019
    @seemarajderkar3019 5 місяців тому

    I wish to point out an error about this video to the makers of this beautiful film on ww2 survivor, Roman Gesler.
    Probably, Yad Vashem technical team may rectify it.
    Throughout the film, two sets of same subtitles in English appear at the bottom of the screen of the mobile and the words overlap eachother, thus it becomes very difficult to read any one, through them.
    So, there should be 'only one' set of subtitles on the screen.
    Thanks.
    Please correct this error, if possible.

  • @elizabethhurtado2829
    @elizabethhurtado2829 2 роки тому +3

  • @lauramartin5580
    @lauramartin5580 2 роки тому +7

    Elli was more than a Nanny, obviously!

    • @joelweiss7459
      @joelweiss7459 2 роки тому +3

      As an ethnic German who truly enabled this family to survive, was she ever recognized as an individual who was Righteous Among the Nations?

    • @XPALYDO
      @XPALYDO Рік тому +6

      @@joelweiss7459 yes

    • @erzonca558
      @erzonca558 11 місяців тому

      @@joelweiss7459 You didn't watch the video till the end apparently

  • @violagentsch
    @violagentsch Рік тому +1

    Sounds like papa liked the babysitter. Momma disappeared 😕

  • @malshamannage982
    @malshamannage982 2 роки тому +6

    This is so sad 😔❤
    So the mother died is it?

    • @vg9137
      @vg9137 Рік тому +1

      *Elli the baby sitter was more than a Nanny, obviously!*

  • @MrDestiny527
    @MrDestiny527 2 роки тому +4

    so why did she jump?

    • @stephaniestanley8041
      @stephaniestanley8041 Рік тому

      I don't think she could face what she knew was coming.

    • @vg9137
      @vg9137 Рік тому +1

      *Maybe she found out that the babysitter (Elizabeth) was her husband lover.*

  • @richarddetlaff-gc3kk
    @richarddetlaff-gc3kk Рік тому +1

    My great uncle died in Holocaust,he was a communist NKVD agent who was a proud Jewish Bolshevik, who according to reports sang the "Internationale"(communist anthem),all the way into the gas Chambers at Treblinka,every year we light a candle for two of the most tragic events in history,the Holocaust and the fall of the USSR

  • @elizabethhurtado2829
    @elizabethhurtado2829 Рік тому

    👨‍💻👨‍💻✍🕯🕯🕯

  • @elizabethhurtado2829
    @elizabethhurtado2829 Рік тому +1

    🍼🤱👶

  • @Keviin1977
    @Keviin1977 2 роки тому

    Disney 🍿

  • @estellebehrens3944
    @estellebehrens3944 8 місяців тому

    The Jewish people will never ever forget or forgive what happened in the last war. Today we have Israel to call to protect us.

  • @yvonnemulder9038
    @yvonnemulder9038 Рік тому

    Why yewish people

  • @hanaaamrani3997
    @hanaaamrani3997 Рік тому +1

    He fought in the war of independence in Israel, sorry in Palestine? you must be kidding, you mean he fought in the war of occupation. It s crazy how you speak about war crimes when you did the exact same thing to Palestinians when you had the opportunity, killing civilians, kicking them out of their homes.....

    • @erzonca558
      @erzonca558 11 місяців тому

      Stop hatred!
      Stop misinformation!
      Stop injustice!
      STOP HANA AMRANI!

    • @honeybeebadger
      @honeybeebadger 10 місяців тому +2

      This is not the place to discuss such things have some respect for humanity