It was a good thing he took a sick day on the day of the invasion. It was a cold winter day in Poland, my great-grandfather’s hometown. He was a good man, an orthodox Jewish banker, with a necklace so special that it has been passed down all the way to me. Charles Goldbaum, my great-grandfather was sick on the day that they came. The Germans invaded his small town, barging into the bank. They rounded up all the Jews in the bank where he worked. He was home that day, monitoring a mild cold. All the while, he was wearing his beloved necklace. When he got news of the invasion, he immediately rounded up his wife, my great-grandmother, and his son, my grandpa. He gathered the few belongings he would travel with, not forgetting the necklace.  After he rounded up the troops, he discreetly went to a different bank, on high alert for the Germans, and took out his life savings. From there he fled to the Soviet Zone, praying they wouldn't deport them to Siberia, or worse. He never forgot about the necklace. Next, Charles got his family on a boat, allowing them to flee to America in hopes of a better life. They settled in New York City, where Charles got a job as a stockbroker. After his sudden death, he left the necklace to my grandfather, starting the tradition of passing this gold necklace down generation after generation. 

– Will Goldbaum

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