Son of the Little Cigarette Seller: "My Father's Survival Story is Unbelievable"

"Dad always felt there was a higher force watching over him," says Tomer Hadar, son of the late Ben-Zion Hadar, nicknamed 'Bolosh' when he sold cigarettes with his friends outside the Gestapo headquarters in Warsaw. Last week, Bolosh passed away at Hillel Yaffe Hospital, bringing his chilling and inspiring survival story back into the spotlight. A story also featured in the well-known book 'The Cigarette Sellers from Three Crosses Square'.

"The more I think about it, the more I realize how much my father's survival defied the natural order," adds his son, "because he essentially spent the war years right under the noses of German soldiers. There was no natural way for him to survive; it was simply a decision from heaven to keep him alive."

A Small Child on the Aryan Side

The story of the little Bolosh begins when Nazi Germany invaded Poland and established, among other things, the Warsaw Ghetto. During that time, Jews faced various restrictions that severely limited their lives, with new challenges added every day. Eventually, the Germans announced that it was impossible to leave the ghettos. Up until that point, different ghettos were established throughout Poland, from which Jews were sent to extermination camps.

"Dad was only six years old," Tomer recounts, "He made use of his quick feet, small size, and agility to sneak out of the ghetto every few days. He wandered the streets of Warsaw, begged, sang on trains, and gathered food in various ways. He also roamed under the houses of Poles who didn’t know his Jewish identity. He would sing, and they would throw him pieces of bread, fruit, sandwiches, and potatoes. Dad collected the food and snuck back into the ghetto at night to bring it to his family living on Novolipie Street in the ghetto. This is how the family survived for a significant period by sharing the food among the seven family members at that time."

Ben Zion Hadar (Bolosh)

However, this rescue story didn't last long. "One day, when Dad sneaked back into the ghetto from the Aryan side, he discovered that the Judenrat had taken his entire family to the Umschlagplatz – the site from which Jews were sent straight to Treblinka," Tomer continues. "Dad was sharp-witted and realized he had nothing left in the ghetto. At first, he tried to escape to the ghetto hospital because he had a sister working there. He tried to find her, but then the manager discovered him and told him: 'Your sister isn’t here, but I saw other children looking for their relatives who worked at the hospital. Gather the children together, and I’ll pay you the wages of the workers who are no longer here.'

"Dad had strong instincts," Tomer continues the unbelievable tale, "He was just a small child, but immediately realized that gathering all the children might be very dangerous as they could be killed, and clearly, they wouldn’t be given money. That day was his last in the ghetto because he quickly fled. He exited the ghetto, a six-year-old child, without a father or mother, without any identifying documents. A child who had undergone a circumcision, making it easy to identify him as Jewish, he embarked on a challenging survival journey through the dangerous streets of Poland filled with Nazi soldiers."

"We Knew There Was Only Death"

It's hard not to hear the emotion in Tomer's voice as he continues to tell about his father: "When Dad was on the streets of Poland, he continued doing what he had done up until that day. He would board trains, of course without a ticket, and sing to people. They would give him alms, and he would continue roaming the streets, singing to elicit compassion from passersby."

On the question of how one could sing during such dark days after losing his family and being left alone in the world, Tomer is at a loss for an answer. "There are things even Dad couldn’t explain," he finally says.

At some point, young Bolosh met a group of about ten Jewish boys, older than him, aged 10-14. They united and sold cigarettes in Three Crosses Square. In this way, they managed to earn a living and looked after one another, guarding against Polish boys who tried to steal their goods and from the dangerous Nazi soldiers roaming everywhere.

"There’s a sentence Dad always said," Tomer recalls, "he remarked that unlike adults who deluded themselves into thinking they could save themselves by stalling or cooperating with the Nazis, he and his friends never deceived themselves for a moment. They knew consistently that death was the Jews’ sentence, and they knew that if they didn’t help and support one another, they would die. Dad always said: 'It was our secret of survival; we protected each other, cared for one another. That's how we survived.'

"Dad also always told us that since he was the youngest in the group of boys, they saw him as a younger brother and protected him with extreme bravery. This is essentially how they looked after him through the war years, particularly highlighting the head of the group – Ignatz Milchberg, nicknamed 'Becik' (Bull). He emigrated to Canada after the war and passed away about six years ago.

"The more you think about it, the more you comprehend the unbelievable situation," he emphasizes, "because Dad and his group sold cigarettes to German soldiers right in the area where the Gestapo headquarters was located. They met the Nazis daily, mingling among them, while at night they slept at the homes of Polish women for a fee and left as soon as dawn broke, so they wouldn’t be noticed. Their feeling was that in this dangerous spot, they were most protected, as no one would think to look for them in such a perilous place."

Longing for Dad

The life of young Bolosh was difficult and frightening. Beyond the daily survival, he also experienced several incidents where his life was almost ended violently, as well as situations in which he found himself in embarrassing situations. "Dad always presented himself as a Polish child, but once they asked him to cross himself, and he didn’t understand what to do. On another occasion, his circumcision was discovered, exposing the lie he told about being Polish. Later on, his friends managed to acquire fake documents for him, listing his false identity as 'Boleslaw Robleski'.

What do you think made his story so famous?

"It’s not just Dad’s personal story, but the story of the group of boys from Three Crosses Square that became famous immediately after the war," Tomer explains, "because it's truly exceptional. How is it conceivable – Jewish children managing to survive the Nazi extermination machine which killed every Jew? It's unfathomable to consider that the boys were right in front of the Gestapo headquarters in Warsaw for years and weren’t caught. They were all the time on the Aryan side of the city, and they managed to survive and escape. The story was further revealed through the book 'The Cigarette Sellers from Three Crosses Square' by the author Joseph Ziemian. By the way, I personally maintained a close connection with the author's son, Rami Ziemian, z"l. Thus, the story of the boys was uncovered, and Dad became famous worldwide. For years, Dad used to visit schools and attend various meetings where he shared his story, particularly annually on Holocaust Remembrance Day. He felt it was a privilege to share his experience of divine providence."

Did your father keep in touch with the group of boys after the war?

"Yes, they maintained contact throughout the years, but all have passed away. He was the last to die, at the age of 84."

Tomer pauses for a moment, then adds: "Our Dad survived the Holocaust with incredible courage and amazing divine providence, but more than anything, he was an amazing person and a sensitive and loving father. We already miss him so much."