The Survivor
How I Made it Through Six Concentration Camps and Became a Nazi Hunter
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4.1 • 7 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
“Sobering, unforgettable reading. This is a standout of its kind.” – Publishers Weekly
“A riveting, deeply moving memoir. The writing is descriptive and dramatic, preserving Lewkowicz’s deep emotions.” – Jewish Book Council
This is the remarkable story of Josef Lewkowicz—Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor who became a Nazi hunter.
When Nazi forces entered Kraków, Poland in 1939, unexpected and unresisted, Josef Lewkowicz's life became a nightmare overnight as he and his family were rounded up and sent to concentration camps across German-occupied territory. It wasn't long before Josef found himself face-to-face with SS kommandant Amon Goeth, whose brutality was made infamous by the film Schindler's List.
As Josef struggled to survive the violence, horror, and degradations of one prison camp after another—his journey eventually spanning continents and taking him to the limits of human endurance—he was kept alive only by his faith and his profound sense of justice.
A harrowing but ultimately uplifting glimpse into a pivotal moment in history, The Survivor is the story of one man's survival and pursuit of justice against all odds. The story of resilience and tenacity, and a desire for revenge redirected as a yearning to build a better future for humanity.
"I am ninety-seven and ready to meet my God whenever He calls me. . . I have seen terrible things: ritual hangings, casual shootings, unspeakable cruelty. . . I endured hunger, beatings, and torture in six camps and managed to prevail so I could bring a monster to justice."
In this memoir, Josef Lewkowicz shares a poignant and gripping account of his life, capturing the indomitable spirit and enduring soul—the neshama—of the survivor. It is a testament of the resilience of the human spirit and a tribute to those who defied the darkest moments of our history.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Lewkowicz makes the horrors of the Holocaust visceral in his unflinching debut. In 1942, a 16-year-old Lewkowicz and his family were herded into a cattle car and transported from their predominantly Jewish village in Poland to Belzec—the first of six concentration camps Lewkowicz survived. He details his brushes with death one by one, including a harrowing encounter with sadistic Plaszow commandant Amon Goeth (who was portrayed by Ralph Fiennes in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List). The bleakness of the narrative, however, eventually gives way to a sense of catharsis. After the war, Lewkowicz was recruited by the U.S. Army to track down Nazi war criminals. One of his first successes came in finding Goeth and testifying against him in court, which eventually led to his execution. Lewkowicz's blunt style ("Can you imagine such a life? No day, no night, no food, no hope, no respite. A piece of bread is your redemption") and extraordinary arc make for sobering, unforgettable reading. This is a standout of its kind.
