Sarinka's and Leon's story begins on their wedding day, April 6, 1941, a day which should have been filled with joy.  That morning the Nazi's invaded Yugoslavia and their wedding ended up being just them and the Rabbi who agreed to come to Sarinka's home to marry them in a rushed ceremony.  Sarinka lived with her mother and grandmother as her father died when Sarinka was 13 years old.  Instead of going on their honeymoon, Sarinka and Leon returned to Tuzla where Leon worked for the IRS.  Things seemed normal for about two weeks when Leon got a letter terminating his position with the IRS because he was a Jew.  Following that, he received orders to report to a labor camp which he refused to do and ended up being arrested and sent to the camp which was in the town of Tuzla.  Sarinka also was arrested and sent to the same labor camp.  At this time, they were still able to return to their home at night.  During the day they were scrubbing floors and toilets, doing the soldiers laundry and cleaning their offices.  Leon had a co-worker who was working with the underground and got Leon and Sarinka permits to travel back to Travnik to be with her mother and grandmother.  When they returned to Travnik, they realized that people who used to be friends were now enemies and stole all their jewelry and Sarinka's beloved piano.  Leon's siblings were all store owners and their stores were confiscated by the Nazis. Deportation orders came for all Jews in their city and Leon's siblings all complied with those orders.  They were sent to a labor camp, Jasenovac, which was near Travnik.  Before long a letter came ordering all men between 18 and 60 to report to the labor camp.  Leon hid between Sarinka’s house and his aunt’s house and avoided deportation at that time.  Nazis came searching their house one morning while Leon was davening and Leon ran up to the attic to hide, his tefillin still on.  A picture of Rabbi Avraham Abinum fell in front of him and when the Nazis came up to the attic he was hidden by the picture.  This picture played a major roll in Leon’s survival.   The governor’s assistant who was Muslim was boarding in Sarinka’s mother’s home and Leon asked him for help in obtaining passports to leave the country.  He arranged for five passports and travel for Leon and four others.  They decided that first Leon and Sarinka’s two uncles, a student and the grocer would leave to make sure that this plan would work.  They left Travnik on December 15, 1941.  A Muslim picked them up and housed them for one night and then another man came and took them to Sarajevo. On the train the five men separated so that if one got caught, they would not all be caught.  At one of the stops it was taking a long time and Leon saw through the window that the other four men he was traveling with were taken off the train by the Nazis.  Leon was questioned on the train but was convincing as the businessman he was posing as and was left alone.  Leon was sure the other four were headed for certain death.  Leon made it to Mostar and then the governor’s assistant got a passport for Sarinka.  They devised a plan for Sarinka to travel as the daughter of a Turkish Muslim, Ibro, the man who worked in the family’s liquor store.  Sarinka dressed as a Muslim woman and traveled with Ibro on January 7, 1942.  She said goodby to her mother and grandmother not knowing if she would ever see them again.  The train was boarded by Nazis and questioned Ibro but were satisfied they were who they said they were.  Sarinka was terrified but they arrived safely to Mostar where Leon was.  Ibro left them in Mostar and traveled back to Travnik.  Ibro risked his life to save Sarinka.  Leon and Sarinka stayed in Mostar for nine months then went to Montenegro, Yugoslavia, then on to Split.  Nazis arrived in Split and the Italians began killing.  At this point, Leon decided it was not safe to stay in Split and they decided to join the Partisans and went into hiding in the mountains.  Sarinka worked with the Red Cross in the mountains helping injured partisans and Leon became a soldier.  He could not kill and Sarinka asked the head of the Partisans, Meyer, if there was other work for Leon to do.  Life in the mountains was very difficult and by the end of 1942 they were offered the chance to go to the island of Vis in the Adriatic Sea.  The British sent boats to take them to the island which was occupied by Italian forces, British soldiers, Yugoslav partisans and American soldiers all with the goal of stopping the Germans.  Leon and Sarinka stayed on Vis for 15 months and then on March 5, 1944 they moved to Santa Croce, Italy, then on to Bari, the safest place in Europe, which was a DP camp supervised by the British.  At this camp, men and women were separated and Sarinka did not think she could survive being away from Leon.  They saw each other whenever they could.   At this camp is where they found Leon’s sister, Saphira, who was on her way to Israel with her husband.  In June of 1944, President Roosevelt, being persuaded by Ruth Gruber, said the United States would accept 1000 refugees from Italy.  Leon and Sarinka were accepted into this group and arrived in New York on August 3, 1944.  The voyage over was very difficult and dangerous, having to avoid German submarines and war planes.  Seeing the site of the Statue of Liberty on that day produced a joy Sarinka never thought possible.  For the first time in a very long time they had hope of a new life.  At this camp Sarinka decided with this new life she needed a new name, and changed her name to Shary.   Life took on some normalcy with Leon and Shary having their own private quarters, food and the freedom to practice religion.  Religious services started on the first Shabbat in camp and they could finally sleep a whole night without the fear of being killed.  While at Fort Ontario, Shary discovered she was pregnant and she and Leon were overjoyed but also afraid of having a baby in an internment camp.  In January, 1945 President Roosevelt stated that the refugees would have to go back to Europe as agreed to when they signed on to come to Oswego.  The tensions were growing in the camp as the time was coming near for them to leave.  On May 7, 1945 the war was declared over and on May 19, 1945, Sylvia Simcha was born and brought joy to everyone around her.   

With their deportation date set for June 30, 1945, anxiety took over the whole camp.  Ruth Gruber worked with a committee comprised of Eleanor Roosevelt, Ohio senator Robert Taft and the director of Fort Ontario, Joseph Smart, to try to get them to let all the refugees stay in the United States.  The decision was up to President Truman who was stating that all refugees should return to Europe as per the signed documents before coming to the United States.  On May 30, 1945 Leon and Shary learned the fate of all their family members.  They were all deported to Jasenovac concentration camp and believed to have been murdered there.  This brought a whole new level of despair for Leon and Shary and many others in the camp whose families all suffered the same fate.  Over the next six months, the decision to let the refugees stay or deport them back to Europe went back and forth.  Finally on December 22, 1945, President Truman made the decision to allow anyone who wanted to stay the ability to become American citizens and start building a life in the United States.  Resettlement plans began and it was decided that Leon and Shary would go to Baltimore, Maryland along with about ten other Yugoslav families.  Jewish organizations assisted in helping them find jobs, homes and loans.  Leon worked in a factory and went to school at night with the goal of becoming an accountant again.  In November, 1951 their second daughter was born, Florence Linda, named in memory of Shary’s mother.  In 1970, Leon and Shary went to Israel to re-unite with Leon’s sister and her husband and then went on to Yugoslavia to reunite with Leon’ brother, Isaac.  That was the first time the siblings saw each other in 30 years.   

Information obtained from the book titled “Sarinka” written by F. Linda Cohen, daughter of Leon and Shary Kabiljo.  

 As a Jew, you must always be careful and never be silent when our people are in danger. Always support Israel.