Nazi hunter, 96, shares his extraordinary story at BAFTA

A celebrated Nazi hunter and Holocaust survivor has shared his story of survival and pursuit of justice.

Josef Lewkowicz, 96, addressed two hundred guests at the global launch of his autobiography, “The Survivor: How I Survived Six Concentration Camps And Became A Nazi Hunter”, at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in London on the evening of Yom HaShoah.

The event was organised by JRoots in collaboration with Penguin Random House and the Blair Partnership.  An exclusive preview of JRoots film, The Survivors Revenge, telling Josef’s remarkable story was also shown to the audience.

Rabbi Naftali Schiff, the founder of JRoots said: “Having interviewed hundreds of survivors, Josef’s story both during and after the Holocaust is a truly unique and remarkable one.”

The film screening was followed by a conversation between Josef and Rabbi Schiff, discussing how he discovered Josef and persuaded him to tell the story of his experiences to the world. Josef also shared his thoughts and convictions as a survivor about the value of educating younger generations on the Holocaust.

As his newly published book details, following the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939, Mr. Lewkowicz and his father were separated from their family and herded to the Kraków-Plaszów concentration camp. Subsequently, Josef was incarcerated in six of the most notorious Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz, Mauthausen and Ebensee.

By the end of the War, Josef was the sole survivor from an extended family of 150. Alone in the world, whilst still in a Displaced Persons’ camp, he volunteered to join the Jewish police and was recruited as an intelligence officer for the US Army who gave him a team to search for Nazis in hiding.

Josef played a critical role in identifying and bringing to justice his greatest tormentor, the Butcher of Plaszow, Amon Göth and simultaneously devotedly searched to repatriate hundreds of orphaned Jewish children of the Holocaust, helping them to rebuild their life.

At the event, Josef Lewkowicz stated: “For decades, I was very quiet, telling no one of my experiences and suffering during the War. I hid my story even from my own children, I was silent for most of my adult life. Then came Rabbi Naftali Schiff, who made me open my mouth. Really, without him I would not be speaking, writing, and telling over what I went through. Now I am doing my best to tell the world what happened. Remember and do not forget!”

Following the event, Rabbi Naftali Schiff said: “We are deeply honoured to have Josef share his story with us. His resilience and courage in the face of unimaginable horrors alone, would make him a modern-day hero. He is an inspiration to us all, and we hope that this event and his book will help ensure that his story and the lessons of the Holocaust are never forgotten. Working together with Penguin, JRoots is proud to have played a role in creating this lasting legacy.”