You know enough to distrust the peasants of southern Poland, who have a well-deserved reputation of anti-Semitism. Seeking refuge among them might be the same as turning yourself over to the Germans. Yet, you desperately need a place to hide.
One day, as you are passing a Catholic convent, your attention is drawn to one of the nuns. There is something strange about her. Her shoulders are too broad, her gait rather masculine, her body very muscular. You approach her, speak to her, and, indeed, realize that “she” is a man. When you tell him your story, he immediately escorts you inside the convent gate. There, you learn that he is called Oswald and that he was formerly a Jewish spy inside the Polish Nazi party. He was able to send out messages to help Jews, especially those from Mir, escape the “Final Solution.” Eventually, his spying was discovered, and he went into hiding, disguised as a nun, here in the convent.
The nuns at the convent agree to conceal you as well. They give you false baptismal papers, identifying you as a person who has always lived in the vicinity. After changing your appearance slightly, especially growing your hair longer, you spend the next two years at the convent, helping in the kitchen and garden, never venturing beyond the convent walls.
After liberation, you arrange for a thanksgiving mass, praising God
for the courageous nuns. You saved my life — not once, but many times. I
shall never forget. But now I must go to join my own people in Palestine.