Josef Lewkowicz – författare

“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.

Brought to you by Penguin.One of the last great untold stories of the Holocaust, The Survivor is an astonishing account of one man''s unbreakable spirit, unshakeable faith, and extraordinary courage in the face of evil.At only sixteen years old, Josef Lewkowicz became a number, prisoner 85314. Following the Nazi invasion of Poland, he and his father were separated from their family and herded to the Kraków-Plaszów concentration camp. Forced to carry out hard labour in brutal conditions, and to live under the constant threat of extreme violence and sudden death, before the war was over Josef would witness the unique horrors of six of the most notorious Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz, Mauthausen and Ebensee.From salt mines to forced marches, summary executions to Amstetten, where prisoners were used as human shields in Allied bombing, Josef lived under the spectre of death for many years. When he was liberated from Ebensee at the end of the war, conditions were amongst the worst witnessed by allied forces.With his freedom, Josef returned home to find that he was the only one left alive in an extended family of 150. Compelled by the need to do something to avenge that loss, he joined the Jewish police while still in a displaced persons'' camp, and was recruited as an intelligence officer for the US Army who gave him a team to search for Nazis in hiding.Whilst rounding up SS leaders, he played a critical role in identifying and bringing to justice his greatest tormentor, the Butcher of Plaszow, Amon Göth, played by Ralph Fiennes in Schindler''s List. He then committed his life to helping the orphaned children of the Holocaust rebuild their lives.The Survivor is Josef''s extraordinary testimony.©2023 Josef Lewkowicz & Michael Calvin (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Kuudelta keskitysleiriltä selvinneen miehen tarina

Selviytyjä on uskomaton kertomus yhden miehen murtumattomasta tahdosta, uskosta ja rohkeudesta käsittämättömän pahuuden edessä.

Kuudentoista ikäisenä Josef Lewkowiczista tuli vanki numero 85314. Natsien miehitettyä Puolan Josef ja hänen isänsä kuljetettiin Krakovaan Plaszowin keskitysleirille, joka tunnetaan elokuvasta Schindlerin lista. Leiriä johti äkkipikainen ja mielivaltaisen julma Amon Goeth, jonka brutaalius oli rajatonta.

Järkyttävissä olosuhteissa Josef sai tottua raskaaseen pakkotyöhön, jatkuvaan väkivallan uhkaan ja kuoleman läheisyyteen. Ennen kuin sota oli ohi, hän joutui kokemaan peräti kuuden eri keskitysleirin kauheudet.

Kun vapaus sodan jälkeen koitti, Josef sai todeta olevansa suvustaan ainoa, joka oli selvinnyt hengissä natsien tappokoneistosta. Kostaakseen kokemansa menetyksen hän muodosti Yhdysvaltain armeijan tuella työryhmän metsästämään piilottelevia natseja ja pidättämään SS-upseerit, joiden käsissä hän ja hänen yhteisönsä olivat kärsineet. Juuri Josef löysi suurimman kiduttajansa Goethin ja auttoi saattamaan tämän oikeuden eteen.

PuolalainenJosef Lewkowics vietti kolme vuotta kuudella eri keskitysleirillä. Sodan jälkeen hän toimi tiedustelu-upseerina Saksassa ja Itävallassa. Nyt 97-vuotias Lewkowics asuu Jerusalemissa.

Michael Calvin (1957) on englantilainen journalisti ja palkittu kirjailija, joka on julkaissut 14 kirjaa.