Leon Leyson One from Schindler's List Country: USA

Biography of Leon Leyson

Leon Leyson, one of the survivors from Schindler's List, passed away in Southern California at the age of 83. He was the youngest member on the famous list, which included 1,100 Jewish individuals. Leyson was around 10 years old when Poland was occupied by the Germans. Along with his family, he endured the infamous Krakow Ghetto and later became one of Oskar Schindler's workers, making him the youngest participant on the list. Despite his small stature, Leyson worked diligently at the machines, often standing on an empty crate. He earned the nickname "Little Leyson," given to him by Schindler himself.

Leyson's parents, older brother, and sister also survived the Holocaust, but his two younger brothers were killed by the Nazis. After the war, Leyson immigrated to the United States in 1949. He started a family, having two children, and pursued an education to become a teacher. For almost 40 years, Leyson worked as an educator at Huntington Park High School in Los Angeles. Throughout those years, Leyson kept his childhood experiences to himself and rarely shared his memories of the difficult war years and his time at Schindler's factory.

It was not until 1993, when Steven Spielberg released his renowned film "Schindler's List," that Leyson decided to share his story. He conducted a series of lectures in schools and colleges, recounting the horrors of the Nazi regime. Leyson's final meeting with Oskar Schindler occurred in 1974 when Schindler visited Los Angeles. Leyson went to the airport with a group of Jewish individuals to greet him. When introducing Leyson to others, Schindler pointed at him and said, "I recognize you, you are Little Leyson."

Leon Leyson passed away in January 2013 at the age of 83. He is survived by his wife, son, and daughter in the United States, as well as his sister and brother living in Israel.