The Power of Tefillin: A Family’s Survival Against All Odds

When R’ Chaim Calderon stood before the Nazi officer who aimed his rifle at him, he calmly declared, “I am going to fulfill the commandments of my Creator, and I am not afraid of your threat, only of Hashem.” With these words, he showed a strength and courage that would save not only his life but that of his entire family. “Know this,” he continued, “I fought on the front lines in the previous war, watched my friends die in my arms, and faced death countless times. Nothing can frighten me anymore.”

R' Chaim Calderon, like many Greek Jews, had never imagined that the Nazis would reach Greece. However, when the Germans swiftly conquered the southern part of the country and moved toward the city of Larissa in Thessaly, the Calderon family was forced to flee. R' Chaim gathered his wife, Chana, and six of their eight children, leaving their home behind and heading north into the mountains. Their older son, Gabriel, was married and took care of his own survival, while their son, Nissim, decided to join the partisans fighting in the forests.

As the Nazis began to round up Jews and imprison them in ghettos, R' Chaim and his family moved from one village to another, trying to escape the brutal fate that awaited so many. After days of hiding, they found shelter in a small cabin at the top of a mountain. But even in their remote refuge, they would not find peace.

One morning, the family was startled by the roar of two motorcycles. Four SS officers in black uniforms arrived, shouting, “Raus! Raus!” (Out! Out!) They ordered R' Chaim to bring his family outside. Within moments, the officers set the cabin ablaze, and the family found themselves out in the snow, barefoot and in their nightclothes. In a panic, Chana grabbed two blankets from the flames to wrap her children. They were taken to a nearby settlement and placed in a room.

The next day, the SS officers returned. With calm determination, R' Chaim told them, “Wait. I have not yet prayed Shacharit,” referring to the morning prayers. To their astonishment, he took out his tallit (prayer shawl) and tefillin (phylacteries), which Jewish men traditionally wear during prayers.

The officer, towering over him, threatened, “What do you think you’re doing? I’ll kill you now.” He raised his rifle. But R' Chaim remained unshaken. “I am fulfilling the commandments of my Creator,” he replied. “I fear no man, only Hashem. I’ve seen death countless times, and nothing can scare me now.” He wrapped himself in his tallit and put on his tefillin, not rushing, even as the soldiers grew impatient and left.

The following day, the officer returned, this time introducing himself as Shtoyerman. He was curious about R' Chaim’s courage and, after some conversation, said, “You acted with great bravery yesterday.” R' Chaim didn’t hesitate to speak his mind. “Your Führer is insane,” he said boldly. “He will be defeated, and you will be held accountable for your actions.”

Later that evening, Shtoyerman returned with urgent news. “I took your advice,” he said. “Tomorrow we leave. Stay inside and make sure no one goes outside.”

Two days later, R' Chaim realized the officer’s warning. The Germans had set every house on fire and destroyed every bridge in the area. The Calderon family’s cabin was the only structure left standing, and Shtoyerman had spared them, saving their lives.

As Yosef Calderon, one of R' Chaim’s children, later shared in “Otzrot HaParasha,” “Nitzotzot,” he concluded, “The tefillin saved me and my entire family from death.” It was the steadfast faith in Hashem and the mitzvah of tefillin that turned what seemed like certain death into a miraculous survival story.