This episode is close to our heart. Oren (like Leah Eichler) is a third generation Holocaust survivor. Coincidentally, their grandfathers come from the same city and likely knew each other.
In this book, Oren channels his grandfather to tell the stories he recounted to his grandson over the years. Oren’s father died young and his grandfather moved in to the role, regaling him with bedtime stories not normally meant for young children.
The Apprentice of Buchenwald tells the true story of Alex Rosenberg. As a teenager, Alex was taken to Buchenwald, the largest concentration camp in Germany, where he and his father collaborated to survive one day at a time. Growing up, Alex had mentored under his father to become a mechanic, and was forced to work in German weapons factories during the war. While manufacturing the very armaments that would later be used against the Allies, Alex and the other labourers realized they had their own way to fight back from behind enemy lines: Sabotage.
In this interview, we discuss the genre of Holocaust memoirs and what role they will play in the future, after the last Holocaust survivor is gone. Listen in and let us know your thoughts.