Leon Leyson was born on Sept. 15, 1929, in the tiny village of Narewka in northeastern Poland, which had about 2,000 residents — half of whom were Jews.
He had three brothers, Hershel, Betzalel (called Tsalig), and David. He had one sister, Pesza. Leon was the youngest child. His father’s name was Moshe, and his mother’s name was Chanah. All of Leon’s extended family, including grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins also lived in Narewka.
Moshe worked in a glass factory as a tool and dye maker, which was the only industry in that small village. Most of its economy was agricultural.