11/17/1923-8/17/1977
Shamai (Sam) Safier was born in L’Vov, Poland on 11/17/1923 to Joseph and Pearl Safier. Shamai was able to escape the war. His parents, and all but one of his 7 siblings, were murdered in the Janowska concentration camp in L’vov, Poland. Unknown to Shamai, his sister Betka (Betty) was also able to escape, and eventually they both separately made their way to Israel, each with their own amazing story of escape. They didn’t know that the other was alive until a random encounter ten years later in Tel Aviv. Shamai was shot by the British during the British occupation, but he survived. Shamai met Genia Metz in Tel Aviv, married there, and had four children: Pnina (Nina), Josepha (Sefi), Miriam (Miri) and Aaron (Ronnie). Shamai was an Eged bus driver in Israel and the owner of a gas station in Cedarhurst, NY. Shamai and Genia have 12 grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren, so far.