Denver Catholic

12 NOVEMBER 10-23, 2018 | DENVER CATHOLIC by an S.S. soldier in the camp. A Jewish man close to the scene yelled at the S.S. man to put the dying priest out of his misery. The soldier shot them both. Witold couldn't take it anymore. "I stood up and I said to him, 'Shame on you. You should turn to God instead of butchering people here.' "He looked at me and said, 'You Polish cockroach. I'll crush you with my boot.'" Right when the soldier took out his gun to kill Witold, another sol- dier came to bring the S.S. man to the commandant. "I was safe," said Witold. "I guess the Lord was with me." The now-retired deacon shared his incredible story of survival with the Denver Catholic, recounting his time in Siberia, Auschwitz and Dachau — and the calling he felt from God despite the evil that consumed his childhood. GROWING UP IN SIBERIA Witold was born in Stryj, Poland. He was just three years old when his family was captured by Russian soldiers and taken to Siberia as political prisoners. Witold and his mother, father and older sister, who was five, journeyed by train for two weeks with their fellow captives to a camp near the North Pole. The family survived for five years in horrible conditions, overcoming hot summers and below-freezing winters, abusive captors, and insu•cient food. His mother even gave birth to a son during their time in captivity. The Engels encountered kindness in a man with a wagon and a horse, who tied rags on the wagon's wheels and snuck into the living quarters at night. During one of those visits, the man told the Engels, "I'm going to help you escape." The man kept his promise and took the family away. Witold was eight, his brother four. They walked all night in the desert and hid behind massive sand piles during the day. The family traveled this way for an entire year, eating raw fish, raw birds and whatever plants they could find. The Engels finally reached Kiev, a Ukrainian town where they encoun- tered German soldiers who, not know- ing the family was Polish, allowed the Engels to stay with them for a time. Realizing they wouldn't last in Kiev, the Engels moved along and, although they were mostly denied help from local villagers, they encountered a family who o¢ered them a wagon and horses to help with their travels. Even further on their journey, they received two more horses, food and clothing from another family. After several months of traveling, the family finally made it back to their hometown of Stryj, only to have their hopes crushed once again. 'WHAT DID WE DO?' When the Engels made it to Stryj, they found their home completely empty. Although German troops sur- rounded the town, they weren't living in the Engels' house. "My mother cried," recalled Witold. "She said, 'Finally, we're home, finally, we're free!' But little [did] we know." In 1942, just before Christmas, Witold heard trucks outside his house. "I looked through the window and there were Germans," he said. "There were some people jumping o¢ the wagons, and they were shooting them." S.S. soldiers with swastikas on their uniforms approached the Engels' door and took the family away, despite des- perate pleas from Witold's father. The family was put on another train, which, two weeks later, brought them to Auschwitz. Witold recalled the barbed wires surrounding the camp, the massive door and the sign that read "Arbeit macht frei" (Work will set you free). Cover Story MT. OLIVET CATHOLIC CEMETERY 12801 W. 44th Ave., Wheat Ridge, CO (303) 424-7785 ARCHDIOCESE OF DENVER MORTUARY Serving the greater Denver area (303) 425-9511 ST. SIMEON CATHOLIC CEMETERY 22001 E. State Hwy. 30, Aurora, CO (720) 859-9785 Peace of Mind for your Family with Pre-Planning More info at cfcsColorado.org A Ministry of The Archdiocese of Denver Turn your Clunker into Cash! Go to svdpUSAcars.com Or call 1-800-322-8284 e Society of St. Vincent de Paul has a quick and easy way to turn your unwanted car, truck or boat into cash and help those in need. « Deacon recounts miraculous story of surviving the Holocaust Deacon Witold Engel survived three concentration camps before even- tually moving to the U.S. He and his wife, Carmen, have been married for 50 years. PHOTOS BY MOIRA CULLINGS

• Cover