Josef Levkovich was a teenage slave laborer when Amon Goth, the villainous “Butcher of Plaszow” who murdered Jews for sadistic sport, pointed his gun at Josef’s head.
“I was working at the Plaszow concentration camp, dismantling the remnants of a Jewish cemetery,” Josef told Aish.com from his home in the Arzei Habira neighborhood of Jerusalem. The cemetery’s wrought iron fence – all 150 tons – was needed to make weapons for the Nazi slaughter of millions across Europe.
Josef was high atop the fence, removing some bricks, when Goth rode up on his horse – flanked by two snarling dogs trained to tear inmates to death. “When I saw Goth coming, I quivered with fear,” Josef says. “I’d been attacked by these dogs before.” In that attack, Josef protected his face with his hands; he bore the scars for a lifetime.
“Up on the fence, my job was to carefully remove each brick, then toss it down to another prisoner,” Josef explains. “But when Goth passed by, the other prisoner dropped the brick.”
Goth shot him on the spot.
“Goth shouted to me: ‘Throw down a brick!’” Josef vividly recalls. “I did, but Goth let it fall to the ground.”
“Goth pointed his gun at my eyes. I said Shema Yisrael and blacked out.”
Goth ordered Josef off the fence. He quickly slid down, cutting himself badly in the process.
“Goth yelled at me, took out his gun, and pointed it at my eyes,” Josef says. “I knew my life was over. I said Shema Yisrael and blacked out.”
Josef awoke a few days later in the infirmary, in pain and with bandages covering his entire body. Details of what transpired became known only later when Josef later met Wilek Chilowicz, head of the Jewish police who was always at Goth's side and was there at the time. “Chilowicz knew me because I’d volunteered to shine his shoes,” Josef says. “He told me: ‘I saved your life! Goth wanted to shoot you, so I beat you up and told Goth: ‘Save your bullet – he’s dead.’”
Nazi Hunting
Fast forward seven years, post-war. Twenty-year-old Josef is a community activist. He’s successfully rescued 600 Jewish orphans (details later), and was now ready for the challenge of hunting Nazi war criminals.
Josef interviewed people and combed records, gathering every thread of information where Nazis might be hiding. One day, he was searching for clues at a POW camp near Vienna that held 30,000 German prisoners. “I asked a German officer if he recognizes all the soldiers in his group, and he told me: ‘There is one stranger we don’t know.’
“I approached what appeared to be a regular Wehrmacht soldier, and my blood began to boil. It was Amon Goth hiding his identity!”
Josef snuck up behind Goth and years of pent-up frustration let loose. “I started screaming, spitting and beating him – rattling off the list of atrocities I’d seen him commit in the camp.”
Josef snuck up behind Goth and began screaming, spitting and beating him.
Goth was arrested, put on trial in German court, and condemned to hanging. “He was happy to have it all over,” Josef says. But the Polish government insisted he be extradited and put on trial in Poland where he’d committed his crimes. Josef says: “I was happy because this meant I could repeat my accusations against him, and his suffering would be prolonged. He deserved it.”
In Poland, Goth was sentenced to death and was hanged in the Plaszow camp, on the same spot where he’d sadistically murdered untold innocent Jews.
The Holocaust film Schindler’s List would immortalize Goth as the paradigm villain.
During this time, Josef met Oskar Schindler in a DP camp. “He heard that I was looking for Nazi war criminals, and wanted me to know that he was one of the ‘good ones’,” Josef says.
Left: Josef on the day he caught Amon Goth. Right: Goth on trial for war crimes.
Early Life
Josef Levkovich was born in 1926 in the Polish village of Dzialoszyce (pronounced zoli-shitz), the oldest of four brothers in a well-known Polish family. A street named Levkovich (Lewkowa) encircles Krakow’s town square, and their ancestral home today serves as the local police station.
“Before the war, we figured we were safe in Poland,” Josef says. “Jews had lived there for centuries. We were Polish citizens, protected by Polish law. In our wildest dreams we never imagined being deported to factories of death. When the Nazi oppression began, no one defended us. Most Poles followed Nazi orders, some even helped to round up Jews."
We figured we were safe in Poland, but the Polish police followed Nazi orders, even helping to round up Jews.
In 1939, when Jews were forced to relinquish all their possessions, Josef’s uncle sold his textile business to a non-Jew in exchange for a hiding place. That arrangement lasted a short time, Josef recalls. “When the man feared being discovered, he took my uncle and his entire family out to a field and murdered them.”
At age 13, Josef vowed: “If I survive, I will go back to find that man and give payback.” (After the war, Josef could no longer remember the man’s name.)
As the Nazis tightened their grip, Josef and 15,000 other Jews were herded to a flooded field where they were forced to sit all night, cold and hungry, in waist-high water. The elderly were pulled to the side and shot dead.
The next morning, 95% of those Jews – including Josef’s mother and brothers – were taken to the Belzec camp for immediate extermination. A remnant of 800 Jews were sent to slave labor, Josef and his father among them.
In 2011, Josef visits his childhood home and synagogue in the Polish village of Dzialoszyce.
Carrots and Shoeshines
Throughout the years, Josef was transferred from concentration camp to concentration camp. He recalls one incident at Melk, a sub-camp of Mauthausen:
“Because I’m short, I was always in the front row for morning inspections. One day, the camp Kommandant, Julius Ludolf, stopped right in front of me. Without thinking, I saluted, clopped my wooden shoes together, and said in German: ‘Sir! I will shine your boots to shine like the sun!’”
The next thing he knew, Josef was being led by an officer outside the camp to Ludolf’s magnificent villa atop a hill.
“After a while,” Josef recalls, “Ludolf came. Instead of speaking, he made barking noises like a dog, which I understood meant to shine his boots.”
Josef was then led to a garden and given the daily task of feeding the Kommandant’s rabbits and chickens. This gave Josef access to animal food, far better than he was eating in the camp. “I was happy to see carrots for the rabbits,” he says, “and I was the first ‘rabbit’ to be fed!”
In the evenings, Ludolf would throw parties at the villa for SS officers. “They threw out a lot of food, which I ate,” Josef says. He also smuggled food into the camp, risking his life to feed dozens of other prisoners.
At the villa, a lieutenant named Otto Striegel enjoyed mistreating Josef. “He’d order me to stand in the corner with my mouth open, then try throwing pebbles into my mouth. They usually ended up hitting me in the face.”
[While Nazi hunting after the war, Josef discovered Kommandant Ludolf hiding in a village. Josef testified in court, telling of Ludolf’s crimes and his huge quantity of stolen jewelry, gold and foreign bank notes. Ludolf and the lieutenant who threw pebbles were both executed.]
Even though Josef spent so much unattended time at the villa outside the camp, he didn’t try to escape.
“I’d managed to escape previously,” he says. “I slipped away from a work detail and wandered in search of someone to give me food or shelter. But people slammed the door on my face. Either they were cruel or afraid; it is not for me to judge.”
The next morning, Josef went back to the slave labor camp; there was no better option.
“In the cattle car, we had no air or water. Every few minutes, another person died.”
Another treacherous time, Josef was put onto a cattle car headed for Auschwitz. “We were 160 men in the car, packed so tight, worse than sardines,” he says. “We had no air or water. Every few minutes, another person died. When we arrived in Auschwitz, I was standing on so many layers of bodies that I reached the roof.”
Of the original 160 men, 20 walked out. Josef’s first job in Auschwitz was to carry those dead Jews to the crematoria.
Josef pauses and thinks back to those hellish times:
“I endured bitter cold and never-ending hunger. But no matter how grim the situation, I found the courage and faith to survive. Even during the worst times, God filled my entire inner being. I never felt abandoned. The Nazis could destroy my life, but not my belief. That kept me alive.”
Morning roll-call in Mauthausen.
Liberation
One morning in May 1945, the camp was eerily quiet. No siren signaled morning roll call. Then at midday, Josef and the others were suddenly ordered to assemble in the camp’s appelplatz (center square). The SS Kommandant strutted onto a stage and announced: “We want to protect you from the enemy. Go quickly into the tunnels!”
Josef describes:
“Rumors spread that the tunnels were rigged with dynamite, and the Nazis planned to blow us all up. Thousands of prisoners began shouting, ‘Nein! Nein!’ (No! No!). The SS sprayed the crowd with machines guns. I dropped to the ground. Many did not escape the flying bullets and died on the spot.”
Eventually the firing stopped and Josef stood up to see bodies scattered everywhere. The stage was empty. The SS had vanished.
“I was stunned,” he says. “Was the nightmare finally over? Miracle of miracles – had our dreams of freedom finally come true? Was it possible I’d survived five horrific years of slave labor, beatings, and starvation?”
Josef bent down and picked a revolver off the ground. He had no clue how to use it, but today was a new day.
Josef at home in Jerusalem, surrounded by family photos.
Rescuing Orphans
Liberated at age 17 and weighing 60 pounds, Josef pondered his next move. He was literally alone – the only member of his extended family to survive.
As an orphan, Josef was concerned about the thousands of Jewish children who, at the outset of war, had been “temporarily placed” with non-Jewish families and monasteries. In many cases, entire Jewish families had been killed, with nobody to reclaim these children. Josef knew, “If I don’t do something, these Jewish children will be lost to the Jewish people forever.”
With no idea how to achieve this gargantuan task, Josef discovered a distant cousin named Daniel who was a Communist leader in post-war Poland. “I told him that I have an idea to unite families that the Nazis separated. I put it in secular terms, because ‘Jewish’ was a hated term in Poland.”
Daniel introduced Josef to a Polish general who agreed to help the rescue activities – supplying a team of 40 people, including 20 soldiers, rifles, trucks, a tank(!) – and total authority to fend off anyone who might resist.
Locating these orphaned Jewish children was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Through a network of informants, Josef would follow leads to a particular address.
Josef succeeded in rescuing 600 orphans.
“We’d knock on the door, show our badge, and say, ‘We’d like to ask a few questions. Is this your daughter? Show us her birth certificate.’ Many times they claimed the child was adopted, so we’d insist: ‘Show us the adoption papers!’”
Josef had a keen sense for spotting Jewish children and – working with psychologists and security personnel – succeeded in rescuing 600 orphans.
In the aftermath of the war, Josef was a devoted and successful activist.
New World
Josef became involved with the Zionist movement and was headed toward a career as a diplomat. One day, he saw a Red Cross announcement that someone in Buenos Aires was looking for information about the Levkovich family. It was Josef’s great-uncle. “I was a lone survivor. I was eager for family. So I answered the call and they sent me a ticket to come by boat to Argentina.”
Josef became a diamond dealer and met his wife Perla in Columbia, South America. When their oldest son reached school age, they moved to the larger Jewish community of Montreal, Canada. Josef continued working in the diamond business, even operating a diamond factory in Communist Cuba.
He bemoans one deal that got away. Mrs. Pablo Picasso wanted to swap some of her husband’s paintings for diamonds. The paintings were appraised at a few thousand dollars each, but Josef thought they looked odd and passed on the deal. He says: “Today those paintings are worth about $30 million – each!”
In the 1980s Josef became involved in a development company that built projects all over Israel. They built Arzei Habira, a residential neighborhood in Jerusalem, where Josef secured the apartment he lives in today. One apartment project in Rechovot was given the street name Levkovich.
Levkovich street in the central Israeli city of Rechovot.
Over the decades, Josef supported the State of Israel, meeting with Prime Ministers and other high government officials, and helping to establish diplomatic and economic relations between Israel and South American countries.
In 2016, Josef decided to leave his comfortable life in Canada and make aliyah. An Israeli TV crew stayed in Montreal for an entire week to document it.
“I wanted to make aliyah for many years, but I said if I don’t go now, at age 88, I never will,” Josef says. “I’m very happy I made the decision. I found so many friends and good neighbors.”
For many years, Josef refused to speak about his Holocaust experiences. His children and grandchildren pushed him to write a book, so his story would be remembered. The result is From the Ashes to Lechaim: A Miraculous Journey, published this year as a small print run for family and friends.
“I realized that if I don’t tell my story, nobody will. I lost my entire connection to the past, and now I must alert generations to come,” he says.
In 2011, Josef traveled back to Poland with his youngest son, visiting Krakow, Auschwitz, Belzec, where his mother and brothers were murdered, and Dzialoszyce, the village where he grew up, and Plaszow, where he survived the dark shadow of Amon Goth.
“No matter how much is written about the Holocaust,” he says, “it is impossible to describe the terror, and starvation. For five years, from morning till night, I did back-breaking labor in quarries, railroads, and salt mines. I eagerly did everything I was asked. I was occupied with just surviving the moment, with no time to think. Otherwise, I’d go crazy.”
Those memories still haunt today. “I often wake up during the night, soaked with sweat,” Josef says. “Last week I dreamed of fighting with a Nazi who wants to shoot me. I grabbed his rifle and turned it around on him.”
Josef Levkovich rescued 600 orphans, captured Amon Goth, and built a beautiful life. After the nightmare, this is revenge.
Josef’s 90th birthday with “his legacy”: four generations.
(57) Amanda Lee, September 7, 2020 12:10 PM
What an inspiraiton!
I loved the Article - what an incredible story - not many people truly had the opportunity to gain revenge, as minute as it may have been.
(56) Anonymous, August 17, 2020 2:27 AM
Very moving story.
Very moving story. My father was also liberated in Mauthausen on May 4 1945. He barely survived. His descendants comprise seven grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren. He would be happy to know.
(55) Deborah Greenberg, July 30, 2020 3:44 PM
wonderful article
unbelievable story
(54) Ca Boatwright, April 12, 2020 11:33 PM
Recently read current book on AuschwitzBirkenau by Macadam, devastating what my ancestors went through in sustaining their lives!
Praises to Joseph for the rescue of Jewish children. Anna Porter also rescued Jewish children by train enroute to Sweden!
(53) H.E.Brown, February 29, 2020 12:20 PM
The Holocaust.
Keep telling the stories, so it doesn't happen again. Amazing story of survival.
(52) Shelly Klineman, January 29, 2020 4:10 PM
Josef is a miracle!
Each survivor is a miracle. I cried through Josef’s whole story. May he continue to remind the world what we must never forget. I wish you good health for many years to come. You have produced a beautiful family and may it keep producing.
(51) pola sztrigler, January 25, 2020 8:58 PM
amazing story i want to buy the book where can i get it
(50) Vic huglin, November 18, 2019 4:01 AM
Another miraculous story beyond belief
The miracle of Jewish survival is shown in the man and his legacy We lost so many but are rising up even stronger Israel is our heritage and our heart Never stop confronting the anti semites
(49) E Wilson, August 13, 2019 6:40 AM
Written Words Have Colours, Red, Blue, Green, White, Gray And Black ?
Written Words Have Colours, Red, Blue, Green, White, Gray And Black ? and so do people, friends, workmates and bosses, also homes, workplaces and buildings, jobs, occupations, thoughts, speeches and idea. The list is endless. Most people can read and write today but this was not always the case, so they copied other people including their ideas on what colour the world was to them. And human nature being what it is and with poverty being universal the colour black was universal, it was everywhere. So was cliques, workplace associations and political groups some of whom had black uniforms. Amon Goth was a black hearted person, he should have been hung with a white - rope. What Goth did shamed mankind forever more, the problem is if you are a non- Jewish Pole, German, Austrian or Ukrainian what colour was Goth to you and what colour is the Plaszow concentration camp. Changing perceptions starts at birth and never ends. E Wilson Leeds England.
(48) Anonymous, June 26, 2019 7:03 AM
Well done
Just a quick line to say I was very touched by this article. My husband's grandfather also survived the holocaust. ישר כוח למשפחה מקסים שיש לך!
(47) Richard A Lynn,MD, June 18, 2019 6:15 PM
Outstanding
(46) Irv bishko, June 18, 2019 12:48 PM
A true mensch
To life. You need to live to the fullest and for many more years
(45) Joan, June 17, 2019 12:14 PM
Thank you for continuing to share the lives of Holocaust survivors.
I am a 64 yr old Jewish woman who has become a practicing Jew. I’m learning how to be a Jew. I am so grateful to learn about Josef Levkovich. I recently met Eva Kor, Terre Haute, Indiana, at her Holocaust Museum, Candles. Hearing her story about being a surviving twin and reading about Josef ignites a part of my heart that I’ve never felt before! Toda Raba for telling your story! The survivors need to continue to tell their stories so people all over the world continue to face the atrocities of WWII and to never forget! Joan
(44) Monica., June 15, 2019 4:57 PM
Josef Levkovich book
Is Josef Levkovich's book "From the ashes to Lechaim" available online? I would love to buy it.
Thank you very much for the article.
Best regards,
MONICA GODO
(43) Avie Shapiro, June 14, 2019 6:19 AM
Thanks for sharing this.
By comparison, in the Nishmas prayer recited on Shabbos and Yom Tov and in the Hagaddah at the Passover Seder, as well as in the Akdamos poem read on Shavuos, we say that with all available writing materials we would not be capable of totally describing the greatness of thé Creator. Similarly, with all available resources we would not be able to totally record all of the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis against European Jewry. But every additional personal account adds another volume to the necessary library of Holocaust literature.
(42) Mike Grover, June 14, 2019 5:54 AM
There is not enough revenge this man will surely be in heaven
The generation that experienced this are almost gone and the liberal People of America don’t want to hear anything about what happened.
Never forget.
(41) Debby Berger, June 14, 2019 4:23 AM
Amazing article of courage bravery and emunah
This should be taught in all high schools
(40) Keith Loving, June 13, 2019 2:41 PM
Baruch Hashem ✊✡?
(39) Jacqueline Jones, June 13, 2019 6:28 AM
What a remarkable story
How this poor young man had to endure and survive is astounding.
He is an inspiration to us all, and so very brave.
May Hashemite bless him now and always.
(38) James Gavin, June 12, 2019 11:26 PM
josef levkovich
hi,im trying to locate josef levkovich book,from the ashes to lechaim,,ive tried all avenues but no luck yet,best regards jim in dublin
Shraga Simmons, June 13, 2019 1:22 AM
book
Josef's book is not publicly available. It was published as a small print run for family and friends.
(37) Don Kesselman, June 12, 2019 6:32 PM
possible cousin of Jos. Levkovich
My grandmother was from Jedrzejow and had close cousins named Levkovich. My cousin was one of those taken to the swamp in Plaszow and wrote part of a book detailing his experiences. He was from Ksiaz Wielki.
I would like to get in touch with Mr. Levkovich if he is interested.
Thank you.
(36) TSvi, June 12, 2019 6:16 PM
Will to keep going
It is clear that such survivors needed a great amount of unlikely circumstances to remain alive, along with perhaps some smart decisions. Call it luck or divine guidance, as you wish. But what always amazes me is how anyone could gather the will to keep going in such circumstances. It would be so much easier to just give in and die.
(35) Rocio Torres, June 12, 2019 4:46 PM
I have tears of joy
What a beautiful story of a thriving soul. How truly from ashes surged a small fragile man who could identify those horrendous people and save children, become successfully and have 4 generations of descendants... Remarkable, there are no words to describe his suffering but his triumphs are so many and so high. What a plentiful life he has!
(34) Radhikaa, June 12, 2019 3:24 PM
An amazing story ...a real triumph of the human spirit transcending circumstances.Very moving and inspiring.
(33) Lucy, June 12, 2019 2:22 PM
What a beautiful and inspiring faith in God . Life’s testimony for me. Amazing ❤️ Thankful for sharing ??♀️???????
(32) Anonymous, June 12, 2019 1:59 PM
G-d bless him. May he live and be well ‘til 120.
(31) Biju Jacob John, June 12, 2019 1:24 PM
From Bangalore.
What a wonderful testimony. In spite of so much early life obstacles, your life is so productive. Is there any email ID where I could write to Josef sir and say Hello please?
(30) Sandy Saunders, June 12, 2019 12:22 PM
Fabulous story. What a strong man, a true survivor. And the good he’s done in his life.
Fabulous story. What a strong man, a true survivor. And the good he’s done in his life.
(29) David James, June 12, 2019 5:57 AM
Your detractors have a warped view of history.
Thank you for sharing the story of this remarkable man
To Edwaroreid, Edward and the anonymous individuals who saw fit to take issue with the fact that he saw fit to save Jewish children. You have no idea of what it would have been like for those children to have been separated from the parents, and you would see it fit that they should have been raised to be denied their natural heritage, to never have the opportunity to one day find the last vestiges of the their extended family and thus enjoy the security of having a family. You appear to know nothing of the mental trauma children suffer into adult hood and the rest of their lives when they are not able to connect with their blood relatives. Yes there were some Poles who risked their lives and out of the goodness of the hearts protected children and they deserve recognition. There were however others who only took children in for the sake of filthy lucre and when the money ran out abandoned them to the authorities. There were others who made them slave labour and who starved the children in their so called care. You cannot erase from history the fact that while many Poles gave safe haven to Jews and cared for them, regrettably far too many were opportunists who took advantage of the plight of the Jews for their own benefit. You have a warped view of history.
Anonymous, June 12, 2019 12:18 PM
No idea?
And you have no idea what risks were taken by the people who took Jewish children under their care. The risk was execution, including entire families or all the Christian children living in an orphanage. The idea that anyone would risk being killed just for money is ludicrous.
Yvonne Kowalczewski, June 12, 2019 2:24 PM
Polish children
The Germans kidnapped hundreds of thousands of ethnic Polish children of "Aryan" appearance to be sent to Germany for Germanization. Most were never returned to their families. Those Polish "bystanders" couldn't help them just as they couldn't save more Jewish children.
(28) marion fine, June 12, 2019 4:36 AM
What a remarkable man. He should live to 120! Much nachas from his beautiful family. Thank you Aish for sharing his story.
(27) Edwardoreid, June 11, 2019 10:12 PM
Deleted comment
This comment has been deleted.
Klaudya, June 12, 2019 5:28 AM
For ever grateful
We are for ever grateful for every single life that was saved, but remember those children were Jewish, and given (most of the time) or rescued because their parents were being murder. We believe that Jewish soul will be forever Jewish and it was a responsibility, that Joseph took upon himself, to give back to those Jewish children their real spiritual background The Yad Vashem, has recognized, thousands of righteous among the nations, you would see at first glance on their web site, that Poland has the greatest number. Shalom
Link: https://www.yadvashem.org/righteous.html
(26) T.Pollin, June 11, 2019 9:09 PM
Wilek Chilowicz
It's a great and very interesting article, except one mistake - Wilek Chilowicz was not an SS officer, but a Jew from Krakow, who was OD = Ordnugdienst = Jewish order police. He served in the Krakow ghetto and participated in deportations of Jews and he served in the Plaszow concentration camp. I have no doubt that he saved the life of Mr. Lewkowicz.
Anonymous, June 13, 2019 1:27 AM
correct
Thank you for pointing this out. We have corrected the article.
(25) Anonymous, June 11, 2019 7:06 PM
Book
How do I get hold of the book?
(24) Michelle Schindelheim, June 11, 2019 6:24 PM
Belief in G-d
I've always wondered how holocaust survivors maintained their belief in G-d during/ after the holocaust with all they went through. I'd very much like to hear other people's thoughts. Thank you
E Wilson, August 13, 2019 8:54 AM
Belief in God is Fading, and Fast ?
Reply to Michelle Schindelheaim. If you read up on religion, surveys and church or shul attendance figures you will discover what I have claimed is true. The problem is their is a huge percentage of the population who want to believe that there is a God even though in their hearts they know it is not true, how can it be true is a valid question to be asked? Sometimes we need to look behind the church altar and to investigate church finances and each church or shul officials and the roles they play. I claim organised religion is a business just like any other, a business that's got a huge grasp on organising and officiating births, deaths and marriages with all three being billion-dollar industries. And that is what keeps it all going, money and income. Don't you think it strange that when a relgious person goes for an hike up into the mountains or woods they take a huge packs of food and drinks with them, I thought they said "The Lord will Provide." Then we have the sad case of a Rabbi locked up in Birkenau who spent a long time without a reply praying to God and asking for his help, one day he ran through the camp screaming "There is no God, we are all doomed, he was caught, dragged away and shot. " I believe in that man, and his death is on my conscience. His death haunts me day and night and I feel so sad thinking about him, and his fellow prisoners. Two admirable hero's of the Holocaust are Malka Zimetbaum, also known as "Mala" Zimetbaum and Edek Galinski, both known and famous for their bravery and escape from the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp and the resistance they displayed at execution following the escape's failure. Walk tall.
(23) Tabitha Korol, June 11, 2019 5:56 PM
Mazeltov in surviving.
You fought to stay alive and you succeeded. I wish you many happy years ahead and for your family. I fight too, writing essays to expose today’s evil. My book is “Confronting the Deception.” We must prevail. Halavai.
(22) Kim Baish, June 11, 2019 5:55 PM
A comment about Josef Levkovich's account.
A wonderful story of honest endeavour, overcoming great injustice and yet hunting down and bringing the guilty to justice. You stand as a marvellous example to all of us, Jew and Gentile alike.
God Bless and keep you safe Josef. Truly you are an inspiration to mankind.
(21) Anonymous, June 11, 2019 5:53 PM
We Will Never Forget
Baal Stem Tov Mr.Lefkovich
(20) Anonymous, June 11, 2019 5:14 PM
A true honour for my daughter....
Who had the zchus to spend a week with Mr Levkovich, accompanying him on a recent trip back to Poland. His true love for life and for yiddishkeit has no bounds. My daughter has his book and I look forward to reading it as soon as I can lay my hands on it!
(19) K.H. Ryesky, June 11, 2019 4:25 PM
Is this the appropriate verb?
"One apartment project in Rechovot was christened with the street name Levkovich."
Is the verb used in the sentence the appropriate one?
(18) caryn shefa, June 11, 2019 4:17 PM
I want to read the book!
how do we get copy of the book?
(17) Pamela, June 11, 2019 3:58 PM
Heroic Inspiration
This incredible story should be shared with main stream society. Somehow, so many flippantly compare the holocaust to occurances that are not anything like the unthinkable reality of what actually occurred. Josef’s story is inspiring and cathartic for us all. His beautiful family, his legacy, his revenge, is all of ours. Thanks to this brave man filled with godliness.
(16) Baer Max Ackerman M.D., June 11, 2019 3:30 PM
How to order his book
Superb article! One of the best ever!! How might I order his book? Thanks, Baer Ackerman MD libraryofalexandria@me.com
(15) Anonymous, June 11, 2019 3:14 PM
Thank you for this wonderful article. Mom 90 yrs old survived Auscwitz
I would like to buy a copy of Josef Lefkovitch's book. I grew up not knowing that my parents were survivors. At age 13 I came home from school [Bais Yaakov] & asked Mom if she knew that there was "a bad man named Hitler who killed alot of Jews. She said yes, I was there. Mom was very upset. When I told her my teacher told us, the upset face went away. 12 years later, 2nd day Shavous, my Mom looked at the clock & said "Now this exact time we were at the train station saying viduy with my father... Mom & her sister were the only survivors. Mom lives with me & my husband for the last 10 years. She has Alzheimers dementia & medical issues. She's always happy & only says nice things. Most of the time Mom remembers my name. Our children & grandchildren visit often.
(14) Leonard Getz, June 11, 2019 2:54 PM
I interviewed Goth's interrogator Helmut Bodeinheim for the Shoah Foundation
i was an interviewer for the Steven Spielberg Shoah Foundation. One of the survivors I interviewed was Helmut Bodenhem who interrogated Goth after his capture. Bodenheim was born in Germany but made his way to America and became a US army soldier. Since he know German he was called upon to interview/ interrogate Goth. My interview of Mr, Bodenheim is among the 50K interviews the Shoah Foundation conducted during the 1990s. Interestingly the day I interviewed Mr. Bodenhiem was the first time Schindler's List was shown on TV.
Annie, June 11, 2019 11:48 PM
I am not a violent person, but when I saw a piece of film of Goth after his capture and he was smirking as if the whole thing was a big joke, I wanted to tear him and kill him with my bare hands, anything to wipe that look off his face. It was a sickening, terrifying feeling.
I can fully understand survivors who did do this. If a b/w film could have that effect on someone who was born years after the Holocaust, what must it have been like for people who were there ?
(13) E Wilson, June 11, 2019 2:51 PM
There was a Polish Government, And Life Went On . . . . . .
In all the occupied nations, there was a functioning Civil Service Quasi-Government Departments, Hospitals opened, trains ran, shops existed, buses ran, schools functioned, students graduated, the Police arrested people who had commited crimes, and many appeared in Court, some went to Prison, some didn't. All was quite normal, except for Jews, most schools refused Jewish pupils, hospitals did not officIally treat Jews and even worse those ever so law abiding civilian police officers arrested Jews, and handed them over to the Nazis knowing full well they were not criminals, that they were destined for concentration camps, and they knew these were highly illegal arrests. Yes, there was a Government - but only for non-Jews, not for some. The Kiev Massacre never attracted a crowd of protestors, riots did not occur, and
maybe it was not even mentioned in the local Press, so the Press was involved in the cover up, all those wonderful European titles and Editors said nothing.
Anonymous, June 12, 2019 12:14 PM
Completely abnormal
What a load of nonsense! Anyone who claims "all was normal" in German-occupied Poland is completely uninformed about realities for Poles under German occupation. Ethnic Poles were excluded from "German" public transportation, theaters, restaurants, cafes, even park benches. Universities were shut down and even secondary education was conducted in strict secrecy, under risk of execution. There was no "Press" in Poland except for what was published underground (again, under risk of death). BTW Kiev is/was in Ukraine. In Poland, people couldn't "protest" against maltreatment of Jews any more than they could protest the brutalization of Poles BTW Judenrat, kapos and Jewish ghetto police also qualify as "quasi-govt" organizations.
E Wilson, June 13, 2019 4:42 PM
Wishful thinking Costs Lives !
What few people know is it was quite easy to escape from a ghetto, or a forced labour camp and some of the lesser known concentration camp. Quite a number of detainees (not prisoners-detainees) did escape, and after a few days on the run, maybe a week or so later. they sneaked back into the ghetto, or the concentration camp, and remained there, You can guess why. I agree there was Polish helpers, Polish heroes and Good Samaritans, but they were so few in number that they were almost non-existent. To prove this: Lets jump forward to June 1945, and look at how the camp survivors fared and what became of them, admittedly they were free - but how free- if that was so how come so many fled Poland in terror vowing never to return there? To end on a sad not, when the bribe money and hush money ran out, how many Jews were reported to the Nazis and arrested, thousands, absolutely thousands of them ....
Anonymous, June 12, 2019 2:42 PM
Some respect, please!
Until the Germans implemented the Final Solution in 1942, 9 out of 10 Polish citizens murdered by the Germans were ethnic Poles. From Sept. 1, 1939, nothing was "normal." Polish citizens of all groups were terrorized. On a daily basis, Polish people were subjected to street roundups, public executions, mass executions, torture, imprisonment, starvation rations, kidnapping of children, slave labor, sexual slavery, confiscations, evictions, deportations, theft of art, destruction of cities and property, burning down of over 800 villages. Until the spring of 1942, ethnic Poles comprised the largest number of prisoners at Auschwitz, but are routinely consigned to the category of "others." Have some respect for ethnic Polish victims, just as I respect Jewish victims. PS The material damage inflicted by the Germans on Poland has been assessed at $850 Billion. Unlike Israel, Poland has never been compensated for the mass destruction. Of course, there is no price tag for the human victims.
(12) Berel Steinhart, June 11, 2019 2:50 PM
Amazing yid
What words can one use to describe a yid like Josef Levkovich. שבעה מדורי גהינם and not only stayed an ehrlicher בעל אמונה, but even saved hundreds of yiddisher Neshomos from being lost for eternity. נסתרים דרכי השם, only באחרית הימים will we begin to understand what it all meant and why all the immense suffering.
(11) Laureen G. Sussman, June 11, 2019 2:50 PM
What a remarkable man!
Josef Levkovitch is incredible, and his life is the life of someone to emulate. Not only did he survive the horrors of the Holocaust, but he was able to fight back by finding and capturing some of the monsters who tortured and slaughtered the Jews. His entire life was a life of Kiddush Hashem as he saved 600 Jewish orphans, helped to build up the State of Israel, and raised a large, wonderful Jewish family. His was the best revenge against the Nazis (yemach shemo). Thank you for publishing the story of the brave and strong man.
(10) Sharon Kerr, June 11, 2019 2:36 PM
Josef is more than a hero, he's a saint
He saved children, I didn't realize that any remained
Jane Dobry, June 12, 2019 11:59 AM
Who saved the children?
How about some credit for the people i.e. Polish Christians (including orphanages) who RISKED THEIR LIVES to take in Jewish children? They would not have been there to be "rescued" after the war if these brave Poles hadn't risked everything, including the lives of the Christian orphans under their care.
(9) Ellen, June 11, 2019 2:19 PM
Wow! Amazing!
(8) E.Wilson, June 11, 2019 2:09 PM
Extending the Holocaust Lessons to Protecting Others.
No matter where you are, no matter where you live, when you look around you, you can see cruelty and deaths and murder taking place with glimpses and clear evidence of cruelty and hard heartedness.. The other day, whilst I was waiting at the traffic lights to cross the road, a cattle wagon pulled alongside, I could see the cattle, I could hear them bellowing, I knew in my heart it was heading for the abattoir, what should I have done, what could be done?
The situation is exactly the same for those animals, as if they were Jews being taken to Treblinka, Belzec, or Auschwitz. Only, there is no survivors, no escapes, no books written, no photos or slaughter house workers concerns even expressed. Do we really need to eat meat, birds and fish to survive? And. how many animal die each year for me to survive.
Anonymous, June 11, 2019 11:55 PM
I am a confirmed vegetarian and animal rights activist, but even I would never make the comparison you make. I live near a farm and see animals being taken away. I hate it, but it's the ultimate insult to the Holocaust to put them in the same category.
The animals are not tortured, starved or worked to death.
They are not sent on death marches.
They are not herded into showers and then gassed slowly and painfully when the killers decide that they are traumatised enough to make this amusing.
In some cases the Germans would wait until the people inside were in a state of utter terror and.....turn the showers on.
The animals are not torn to pieces by dogs or fried on electric fences.
K.G., June 12, 2019 2:16 AM
Choice
Another good article. How dietary habits came into this? G-D said what animals were clean and unclean. Every chicken egg eaten is one less chicken. No foul either way-it is a matter of choice.
Anonymous, June 12, 2019 9:05 PM
Really?
the comparison of E Wilson is disgusting . Thank you ANONYMOUS for correcting he or she..... BUT KG just FYI the eggs we eat are the unfertilized ones and would have never been chickens..
Annie, June 13, 2019 4:19 AM
I had to say something to her or him; I couldn't let that insult go. The comparison is meaningless. I find the idea of killing and eating animals abhorrent, but how anyone can see any similarity between this and the Holocaust is beyond me.
(7) MESA, June 11, 2019 2:02 PM
Thank you for sharing this story. This is the best revenge- a family and a Torah life.
(6) Pam Webber, June 11, 2019 1:54 PM
This is a wonderful story of courage and determination. Thank G-d you survived and made a wonderful family. You are truly blessed. It was important that you told your story. Our future children, and children of the world need to know what happened, so it never happens again.
Thank You.
(5) Walter Limbacher, June 11, 2019 12:14 PM
Inspirational
Thanks for sharing this story of strength and the will to survive despite all What a remarkable man and many blessings to him and his family. Josef is a treasure to the Jewish people for all his good deeds!
(4) Lisa, June 11, 2019 10:35 AM
He never stopped caring!!
This is a true eved Hashem!! Never stopped seeing the true true reason why we are put on this earth... to help others!! He could have just built a world of his own but he thought of others!! And now he’s enjoying the fruits of his labor in the land GD gave us!!!
(3) Anonymous, June 10, 2019 11:43 PM
There was no Poland, or Polish government, within a matter of weeks after September 1st 1939. The author of this article forgets the efforts of Jan Karski and Witold Pilecki to warn the Allies of just what happening to Jews in conquered Polish lands.
(2) chaya, June 10, 2019 4:25 PM
please find a substitute for the word christened, most inappropriate in otherwise fascinating inspiring story, Am Yisrael Chai!
Anonymous, June 11, 2019 4:47 PM
The word has multiple definitions
But, still, it didn't jump out as inappropriate or take anything from the story, as I read it.
(1) Jewish Mom, June 10, 2019 12:02 PM
What an inspiring account
Mr. Levkovich, I am awed by your accomplishments! In addition to tenaciously holding on to your faith and meriting to be the patriarch of such a lovely family, you are the spiritual patriarch of thousands of descendants of those Jewish children who you returned to the Jewish people. May you have much nachas from all of them - both your biological family and untold others. I also want to thank you for publishing your story despite the extruciating pain of raising tortuous memories for the sake of future generations. This is in keeping with your special quality of being a man of truth, true to your Creator, your people and all of humanity. May Hashem bless you with continued nachas and gezunt!