Youngest ‘Schindler’s List’ survivor dies at 83
Leon Leyson worked at German industrialist’s factory during the Holocaust, was so short he stood on a box to operate machinery
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Leon Leyson tells his story to university students in 2010 (photo credit: screen capture, YouTube)
WHITTIER, California (AP) — Leon Leyson, who was the youngest of 1,100 Jews saved from the Nazis by Oskar Schindler, has died in California at 83.
His daughter, Stacy Wilfong, tells the Los Angeles Times that Leyson died Saturday from lymphoma.
Leyson was nearly 10 when Germany invaded Poland in 1939. He lost two brothers during the Holocaust but was protected by Schindler and at 13 worked in his factory. Dubbed “Little Leyson,” he was so short that he stood on a box to operate machinery.
He later moved to the US and taught for 39 years.
Leyson rarely spoke of his experiences until the 1993 movie “Schindler’s List” sparked renewed interest. He then embarked on a public speaking career to share his story.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
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