Animals are precious gifts of God’s creation, and need to be treated lovingly. If treated well, an animal will never let you down. Is it any wonder that a dog is man’s best friend! This is something Esther Rubenstein discovered when she was condemned to death in a Nazi Concentration Camp. She was suddenly, if not miraculously, rescued by a dog she befriended while in captivity.

Read Esther’s remarkable story :

“I was never afraid of people or dogs. When the Nazis entered my life, I became afraid of people. Since I had no brothers or sisters, my father gave me a most loyal, loving and obedient friend to keep me company while he and mother were at work.

“He was a male terrier, with black eyes trustingly peeking through gray fur, and answering to ‘Motek’ I played with him, teased him, bathed him and fed him. I would talk to him, and my soft, soothe voice seemed to get through to him when he was upset about something and calm him.

“After the Germans came, we were forced to live in the Warsaw ghetto. The Nazi’s murdered my father; my mother starved to death in a slave labor camp; Motek, my dog, was shot by the invaders; and the ghetto was burned to the ground. I was placed on the transfer list to the slave labor camp at Skarzynsko-Kamienna.

“The Camp Kommandant was a tough SS officer who ruled with an iron fist. His men patrolled the area with vicious guard dogs to prevent resistance or escape.

“No one had a friend, except for me. Surprisingly, I shared him with the ruthless SS Kommandant. I didn’t know the dog’s name, but I called him “Kelev,” the Hebrew word for dog. He was the only thing that seemed to bring an occasional smile to the stony face of the Kommandant.

“Kelev was a magnificent Great Dane. His smooth black and white fur were highlighted by his muscles, creating an imposing posture of strength and power. His dark eyes, however, were sad and penetrating because he lacked the love that transforms the savage beast within.

“Kelev had the free run of the camp and sniffed and barked at the grimy prisoners he was trained to despise. He frightened and terrorized them, but not me. I talked to him, petted him, played with him, calmed him down so we became friends. It meant so much to me to have someone to talk to, to care for, to caress, to snuggle up against and to be kissed all over. Kelev assuaged my feelings of despair and hopelessness.

“One morning, we were ordered to assemble for ‘parade.’ Those who appeared healthy were motioned to one side to be shipped to factories; those who looked too ill to work were ordered to the other side, to be sent to the gas chambers. I was sent to join the condemned.

“Suddenly, I heard a yip and a bark. I looked to see the Great Dane move away from the Kommandant; walk slowly, and majestically toward me, his eyes never leaving mine. His tail swung in a deliberate, even beat like a metronome as he came alongside me to be caressed. I bent over; smiled at him, talked to him, stroked his head and back, rubbed his sides, and softly said my farewell. He licked my bony, emaciated hand.

“It was then that the saving miracle took place. The Kommandant suddenly called to one of the officers, motioned toward me, and I was ordered to leave the group of the dead and join that of the living.

“Kelev walked beside me, close to my bony legs, as I took my place among the living. He was a friend unlike any other. He saved my life.”