The Boy on the Wooden Box - A Memoir of Leon Leyson with Marilyn J. Harran and Elisabeth B. Leyson

Leon Leyson was one of the youngest members of Schindler's list. Believing no one would be interested in his story, he rarely spoke about his experiences until the film Schindler's List received worldwide attention. 

Even in the darkest of times—especially in the darkest of times—there is room for strength and bravery. A remarkable memoir from Leon Leyson, one of the youngest children to survive the Holocaust on Oskar Schindler’s list.

Leon Leyson (born Leib Lezjon) was only ten years old when the Nazis invaded Poland and his family was forced to relocate to the Krakow ghetto. With incredible luck, perseverance, and grit, Leyson was able to survive the sadism of the Nazis, including that of the demonic Amon Goeth, commandant of Plaszow, the concentration camp outside Krakow. Ultimately, it was the generosity and cunning of one man, a man named Oskar Schindler, who saved Leon Leyson’s life, and the lives of his mother, his father, and two of his four siblings, by adding their names to his list of workers in his factory—a list that became world renowned: Schindler’s List.

In recognition of his many accomplishments as an educator and a witness to the Holocaust, Mr. Leyson was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters form Chapman University. He taught high school in Huntington Park, California, for 39 years.  
Mr. Leyson passed away in January 2013, leaving behind his wife, Lis; their two children; and their six grandchildren.



231 pages