Nov 26, 2009 8:16 am US/Eastern
JFK The Site Of Reunion 64 Years In The Making
New Jersey Man Gets To Finally Say Thank You To Polish Man Who Saved Him And His Sister During Holocaust
Reporting
Cindy Hsu
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Braunislaw Firuta, right, and Joseph Bonder embrace upon reuniting at JFK Airport in NYC on Nov. 25, 2009.
CBS
This Thanksgiving a Holocaust survivor will finally able to thank the man who saved his life more than six decades ago in Poland.
CBS 2 HD was at the emotional reunion at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Braunislaw Firuta is 83 and can't let go of the man he saved 64 years ago in Poland. Back in 1942, Firuta and his family saved Joseph Bonder and his sister by hiding them for two years in their home and in the woods.
"They risked their life, their homes, everything. That's why I say I couldn't repay them. They did it out of the goodness of their heart," Bonder said.
Firuta flew from Poland for the reunion and through a translator shared the fear the families faced together.
"He said that they were in danger everyday. All the Poles who hid Jews were in danger every day, every day was a challenge," translator Agnieszka Perzan said.
While Bonder survived, his parents and the rest of his family -- from grandparents to cousins -- were wiped out. After the war, Bonder and his late sister, Joan, came to the United States and settled in Monroe Township, N.J. Bonder has three sons who are passing down the family story to their seven children.
"It's important that they know what happened because it's important that it doesn't happen again to anybody, the Jewish people or anybody whatsoever," son Alan Bonder said.
The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous brought the men together and said it's important to remember that one person can make a difference.
"He saved two lives, the lives of Joan and Joseph Bonder and they have five sons between them and there are now 35 people in that family," said the Foundation's Abby Crisses.
Firuta's wife recently died and he lost his home in a fire. The Bonders will now help him survive this challenging time.
The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous also helps support rescuers throughout the world. Right now the non-profit group provides financial assistance to more than 1,000 aged rescuers in 23 countries.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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