My Feet Will Carry Me

In the winter of 1945, when the world was burning in war and hope seemed almost gone, a young Jewish boy named Solomon “Sally” Perel found himself trapped between survival and identity. His story, later known as My Feet Will Carry Me, is not just about escaping death—it is about courage, quick thinking, and the determination to live no matter the cost.
Sally was born in Germany to a Jewish family. When Adolf Hitler rose to power, life changed quickly and cruelly. Jewish families were stripped of rights, businesses were destroyed, and fear became part of daily life. On the night of Kristallnacht, when Nazi mobs attacked Jewish homes and synagogues, Sally’s world shattered. His family realized Germany was no longer safe.
To protect him, Sally’s parents sent him and his brother away to Poland. They hoped distance would mean safety. But war has a way of chasing those who try to escape it. In 1939, Germany invaded Poland, and the world once again turned upside down.
Sally and his brother were separated in the chaos. Alone and terrified, Sally ran. He wandered through forests and villages, hungry and desperate. Eventually, he was captured by Soviet soldiers. Realizing that admitting he was Jewish could bring danger, he made a quick decision—he claimed to be an ethnic German orphan. It was the first of many choices that would save his life.
The Soviets sent him to an orphanage in Russia. There, he learned Russian and tried to blend in. But his safety did not last long. In 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union. The orphanage was overtaken by Nazi troops. Sally now faced the very regime that had tried to destroy his people.
Again, survival required courage and quick thinking. When German soldiers questioned him, Sally spoke in perfect German. The soldiers were shocked. A “Russian orphan” speaking flawless German? They decided he must be Volksdeutscher—an ethnic German separated from his homeland. Instead of being executed as a Jew or enemy, he was treated as one of them.
From that moment, Sally began living the most dangerous lie imaginable. He became Josef Perjell, a proud German boy.
He was taken in by a German army unit as a mascot of sorts—a young helper who polished boots, carried messages, and lifted soldiers’ spirits. The men grew fond of him. They joked with him, shared food, and even protected him. The irony was cruel: the soldiers who would have killed him if they knew the truth now treated him like family.
But every day was filled with fear. Sally had to hide his Jewish identity constantly. One small mistake—one medical examination, one suspicious glance—could expose him. He avoided communal showers. He lived in terror of being discovered. His mind was always alert, always calculating.
As the war continued, Sally’s role changed. Because he spoke Russian, he was sometimes used as a translator during interrogations of captured Soviet soldiers. This placed him in an even more painful position. He was forced to stand beside the very army responsible for the suffering of his people, translating orders and questions.
Inside, he struggled with guilt and confusion. Who was he? A Jewish boy? A German soldier? Both identities fought within him. Yet survival demanded silence.
Later, Sally was sent to an elite Hitler Youth boarding school. There, he was fully immersed in Nazi ideology. The teachers preached loyalty to Hitler, racial superiority, and hatred toward Jews. Sally had to sit in classrooms and listen as people like him were described as enemies of humanity.
He learned to salute, to march, to shout slogans praising the regime that wanted him dead. Sometimes he even found himself repeating the propaganda automatically. It terrified him how easily he could blend in.
At school, he formed friendships. He laughed, studied, and played sports like any other teenager. But behind every smile was fear. He knew that if his secret was revealed, those same friends would turn against him instantly.
One of the most dangerous moments came during medical examinations. Circumcision was a clear sign of Jewish identity. Each time he feared being exposed. Through clever excuses and luck, he avoided discovery. But the tension never left him.
As the war turned against Germany, the atmosphere grew darker. Bombings increased. Supplies ran short. Teachers who once spoke confidently about victory began to look worried. Sally watched as the mighty army that seemed unstoppable began to crumble.
In 1945, as Allied forces advanced, chaos swept across Germany. Sally was forced into military service near the end of the war. Still pretending to be Josef, he wore a uniform of the very army that had destroyed his family.
Then came the final collapse. Germany surrendered. Sally was captured by American soldiers. For a moment, he hesitated. Should he continue the lie? Or reveal the truth?
This time, he chose honesty.
He told them he was Jewish.
The Americans were stunned. A Jewish boy who had survived the entire war inside the German army and Hitler Youth? It sounded unbelievable. But it was true. Through courage, intelligence, and an unbreakable will to live, Sally had survived one of the darkest periods in history.
After the war, Sally searched desperately for his family. The truth was heartbreaking. Most of them had perished in the Holocaust. The weight of survival became heavy. Why had he lived when so many others had not?
Eventually, he rebuilt his life. He emigrated to Israel, married, and started a family. For years, he kept his story quiet, unsure how others would understand it. But later, he shared his experience with the world, turning his life into a powerful testimony of survival.
The title My Feet Will Carry Me reflects the simple but powerful idea that as long as he could keep moving—physically and mentally—he had a chance to live. Each step he took away from danger, each quick decision, each lie told for survival carried him through the war.
His story raises difficult questions about identity and morality. Was he wrong to pretend? Could he have done anything else? In truth, a frightened teenage boy placed in impossible circumstances did what he had to do. Survival was not about heroism in shining armor. It was about endurance.
Sally’s journey teaches us that human beings can survive even the most unimaginable situations. It shows how identity can become both a shield and a burden. It also reminds us that history is not only made of armies and battles, but of individual choices made in moments of fear.
Above all, his story is about hope—the stubborn refusal to give up even when surrounded by hatred and war. While millions lost their lives during the Holocaust, Sally’s survival stands as a reminder that even in darkness, life can endure.
He walked through forests, battlefields, classrooms filled with propaganda, and barracks of soldiers who would have killed him if they knew the truth. And through it all, his feet carried him forward.
Not toward glory.
Not toward power.
But toward life.
And sometimes, choosing to live is the bravest act of all.