| Revision as of 21:01, 30 December 2024 editMooonswimmer (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users22,526 edits →Holocaust: Heading, added materialTag: Visual edit← Previous edit | Revision as of 21:02, 30 December 2024 edit undoMooonswimmer (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users22,526 edits →Post-war: +Tag: Visual editNext edit → | ||
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| ==Post-war== | ==Post-war== | ||
| After the conclusion of ], Lewkowicz worked with the U.S. military to ] among German POWs in American camps. After a few months, |
After the conclusion of ], Lewkowicz became a Nazi hunter<ref name=":0" /> and worked with the U.S. military to ] among German POWs in American camps. After a few months, he encountered Goeth, wearing an ill-fitting soldier's uniform. In 2023, Lewkowicz recounted to ] (CBC) host ], "I recognized him right away ... I saw that murderer's face, I knew it very, very well."<ref name="CBC2023" /> In addition to Goeth, Lewkowicz identified five other high-ranking Nazi officials. All six were hanged following the ].<ref name=":0" /> | ||
| Lewkowicz is also credited with rescuing ] throughout Poland to survive the war |
Lewkowicz is also credited with rescuing ] throughout Poland to survive the war<ref name="JNSobit2" /> and helping to relocate them to ]. His son had encouraged him to reconnect with them, but Lewkowicz chose not to, stating, "I want to forget it. It was such a horrible job."<ref name=":0" /> | ||
| Lewkowicz later worked as a diamond dealer in South America, then married and raised his family in ], Canada, before moving to ].<ref name=" |
Lewkowicz later worked as a diamond dealer in South America, then married and raised his family in ], Canada, before moving to ].<ref name="JNSobit">{{cite news |date=2024-12-27 |title=Josef Lewkowicz, Holocaust survivor and Nazi hunter, dies at 98 |url=https://www.jns.org/josef-lewkowicz-holocaust-survivor-and-nazi-hunter-dies-at-98/ |access-date=28 December 2024 |work=]}}</ref> | ||
| In later years, Lewkowicz was involved with JRoots, an charity that organizes educational Jewish trips to Poland.<ref name=" |
Lewkowicz refrained from speaking about his Holocaust experiences for much of his life but began sharing his testimony later, leading to the publication of ''The Survivor'' and the release of the documentary ''The Survivor’s Revenge'' in 2019.<ref name=":0" /> In later years, Lewkowicz was involved with JRoots, an charity that organizes educational Jewish trips to Poland.<ref name="JPostobit2">{{cite news |date=2024-12-27 |title=‘A giant of a man’: Holocaust survivor and Nazi hunter Josef Lewkowicz dies at 98 |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-835121 |access-date=28 December 2024 |work=]}}</ref> | ||
| ==Media== | ==Media== | ||
| At the urging of his children, Lewkowicz began sharing his story publicly. Lewkowicz's life was chronicled in the ''The Survivor'', released in the UK in March 2023 and has since been translated into 12 languages. It is set to be released in the United States by ] on January 27, 2025, ].<ref name=" |
At the urging of his children, Lewkowicz began sharing his story publicly. Lewkowicz's life was chronicled in the ''The Survivor'', released in the UK in March 2023 and has since been translated into 12 languages. It is set to be released in the United States by ] on January 27, 2025, ].<ref name="JNSobit2" /><ref name="JPostobit2" /> | ||
| The 2019 documentary ''The Survivor’s Revenge'', based on Lewkowicz's life, documents his pursuit of justice of Nazi war criminals, including ].<ref name=" |
The 2019 documentary ''The Survivor’s Revenge'', based on Lewkowicz's life, documents his pursuit of justice of Nazi war criminals, including ].<ref name="JPostobit2" /> | ||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 21:02, 30 December 2024
Polish-born writer and Nazi hunterJosef Lewkowicz (died 26 December 2024) was a Polish-born Holocaust survivor and Nazi hunter.
Early life and Holocaust
Lewkowicz was born in a shtetl in southeast Poland in 1926. At the age of 13, he witnessed the Nazi occupation of Poland. By the time he was 16, he had been separated from his mother and siblings, whom he never saw again. Together with his father, Symcha, Lewkowicz was requisitioned for forced labor and entered the concentration camp system in 1942. His father later died at Auschwitz.
Lewkowicz was sent to the Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp operated by the SS in Płaszów, a southern suburb of Kraków, in the General Governorate of German-occupied Poland. The camp was then under the command of Amon Goeth, later known as the "Butcher of Płaszów", whose brutality was depicted in the film Schindler's List. Lewkowicz later recounted that Goeth would kill people for looking him in the eye or for walking too slowly. Lewkowicz would ultimately spend time in six different concentration camps, including Auschwitz and Mauthausen. He was the sole survivor of his family during the Holocaust.
Post-war
After the conclusion of World War II, Lewkowicz became a Nazi hunter and worked with the U.S. military to track down Nazi SS leaders among German POWs in American camps. After a few months, he encountered Goeth, wearing an ill-fitting soldier's uniform. In 2023, Lewkowicz recounted to Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) host Susan Ormiston, "I recognized him right away ... I saw that murderer's face, I knew it very, very well." In addition to Goeth, Lewkowicz identified five other high-ranking Nazi officials. All six were hanged following the Nuremberg trials.
Lewkowicz is also credited with rescuing 600 Jewish children who were hidden in monasteries and orphanages throughout Poland to survive the war and helping to relocate them to Israel. His son had encouraged him to reconnect with them, but Lewkowicz chose not to, stating, "I want to forget it. It was such a horrible job."
Lewkowicz later worked as a diamond dealer in South America, then married and raised his family in Montreal, Canada, before moving to Jerusalem.
Lewkowicz refrained from speaking about his Holocaust experiences for much of his life but began sharing his testimony later, leading to the publication of The Survivor and the release of the documentary The Survivor’s Revenge in 2019. In later years, Lewkowicz was involved with JRoots, an charity that organizes educational Jewish trips to Poland.
Media
At the urging of his children, Lewkowicz began sharing his story publicly. Lewkowicz's life was chronicled in the The Survivor, released in the UK in March 2023 and has since been translated into 12 languages. It is set to be released in the United States by Harper Horizon on January 27, 2025, International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The 2019 documentary The Survivor’s Revenge, based on Lewkowicz's life, documents his pursuit of justice of Nazi war criminals, including Amon Göth.
References
- ^ Lichtig, Toby (2023-12-22). "The Politics of Remembrance". New Lines Magazine. Retrieved 2024-12-30.
- ^ "Josef Lewkowicz, Holocaust survivor and Nazi hunter, dies at 98". Jewish News Syndicate. 2024-12-27. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ Moran, Padraig (2023-07-04). "Meet Josef Lewkowicz, the 96-year-old Nazi hunter who brought Amon Goeth to justice". CBC. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- "Josef Lewkowicz, Holocaust survivor and Nazi hunter, dies at 98". Jewish News Syndicate. 2024-12-27. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ "'A giant of a man': Holocaust survivor and Nazi hunter Josef Lewkowicz dies at 98". Jerusalem Post. 2024-12-27. Retrieved 28 December 2024.