Rob Berkowits made a surprising discovery in his 20s when he found out that his father, Alex, was among the men captured in a well-known photo taken at a concentration camp during World War II. The revelation came when Rob visited his parents’ home in the 1990s and saw a Winnipeg Free Press article featuring a black and white image of emaciated men in wooden bunks, taken shortly after the liberation of the Buchenwald camp in central Germany on April 16, 1945.
During an interview with CBC’s Information Radio on Yom HaShoah, Rob recalled the moment his father pointed out his younger self in the photo, standing three men away from Elie Wiesel, the Nobel Peace Prize winner. Alex shared his story of survival, mentioning how the Red Cross selected healthier-looking inmates for the picture amidst the dire conditions at Buchenwald.
Alex, who appeared much older in the photo than his actual age of 14, had been rounded up by the Nazis in April 1944 with his family. His journey through four different camps, including Auschwitz-Birkenau, was a harrowing experience. Remarkably, a simple act of wearing long pants instead of shorts saved Alex’s life by placing him in a work camp line rather than the gas chambers where women and children were sent to their deaths.
After his liberation, Alex immigrated to Canada, while Elie Wiesel, his neighbor and family friend in Romania, went on to write the renowned memoir “Night” based on his camp experiences. Alex continued sharing his story until his passing in March 2013, inspiring Rob to carry on his legacy by presenting his father’s survival story to various audiences.
Carrying a copy of the iconic photograph in his wallet serves as a constant reminder for Rob of his father’s resilience and the perspective it brings to his own life challenges. As the world commemorates Yom HaShoah, Rob emphasized the importance of remembering the individual lives lost during the Holocaust by participating in events like “Unto Every Person There is a Name,” where volunteers honor the victims by reading their names aloud.
Despite the passage of 81 years, Rob emphasized the enduring relevance of remembering the Holocaust and the significance of honoring the memories of those who perished during that dark chapter in human history.