The story of my life

The following is a synopsis of Leo Stein’s book which recounts his life before, during and after the Holocaust.

Leo was born on 22 June 1922 in a town called Pforzheim in Germany into a religious Jewish family. He lived with his parents, his maternal grandmother, and his brother Harry.

He recalls the Nazis introducing racial lessons into his school. He and a Jewish girl were excluded, and the atmosphere changed. By 1938, Jews in Germany were trying desperately to leave the country if they could, and Jewish children began classes to prepare them for emigration. Leo was sent to an institution in Frankfurt to train to become an engineer.

He experienced the horrors of Kristallnacht and was chased by Hitler Youth members.

Eventually, a religious seminary in Liverpool agreed to give Leo a scholarship and the British Consulate granted him a visa. He left for Liverpool in April 1939 when he was 16.

In February 1940, Leo moved to Manchester to find work, living in a refugee hostel in Salford. He got a job at a local clothing factory. He later went into a menswear manufacturing business, employing designers, machinists, and tradesmen.

At the beginning, there were just eight people working there, and when the business was eventually sold, he employed over 100 people.

Leo was introduced to his wife Helen through a family connection. He proposed to her in 1952 and they married in 1953 and later had two children.

Leo passed away in 2022.

“When I did go out, I saw Hitler Youth roaming the streets. They were brandishing baseball bats. One of them was smashing windows. Another Jewish boy and I suddenly saw a gang…coming towards us with sticks. I ran one way. and the other boy ran the other. I was so desperate that I tried to stop a car to get them to take me with them, but they just ignored me.”

Leo Stein

“I was heartbroken when I left my parents, but at the time it was amazing to have escaped.”

Leo Stein

“I was 16 when I arrived in England in April 1939 and at first, I knew only a few words of English. But I soon learned it. I had travelled from Germany to Liverpool by train on my own with a visa and a passport. I wasn’t frightened as I was so happy to get out of Germany.”

Leo Stein

The story of my life

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