A story about Sam Leve

Sam Leve was a well known stage designer in New York in the 1930s and ‘40s. He was one of my father’s two best friends from childhood. He is now deceased, unfortunately, and I'm leaving his real name in the story in order to honor him. One day, in the 1980s, He told me this story. During the second world war, Sam approached the International Rescue Committee and asked if there was anything he could do to help. The Committee was formed to smuggle Jews out of Nazi-occupied Europe, and today is one of the best known organizations dedicated to helping refugees everywhere. He recounted to me that he told them, “I could never carry a gun. I am not that kind of person. I am an artist.” So they put him to work forging passports. To do this, he had to confine himself to making changes that were difficult to detect, like changing a P to an R. This resulted in some very unusual names. Sam had just attended a party where many of those present were holocaust survivors. On New York’s upper west side at the time, that was to be expected among Jews of a certain age. He was introduced to a woman with a very unusual name. Sam recognized the name. He asked if it was her real name. She said no, it was the name she adopted because it was on the passport she was given to escape from Europe. I said “Sam, did you tell her?” He replied “No. I didn’t want her to feel like she owed me something.”