Holocaust survivor Eddie Jaku dies, aged 101

[canetoad]

Holocaust survivor and ‘The Happiest Man on Earth’ Eddie Jaku has died, aged 101.

The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies said Mr Jaku was a “beacon of light and hope” for the world and would be remembered for his resilience and joy.

“The world is a little less bright without him in it, and we will always treasure the memories and stories we were privileged to have heard,” the group’s post on social media said.

Jaku was born in Germany to a large family, he survived only after he was interred multiple times, escaped to Belgium, escaped from a train en route to Auschwitz, hid in an attic until he was discovered, and eventually arrived at Auschwitz where the number 72338 was crudely tattooed onto his left forearm.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/holocaust-survivor-eddie-jaku-dies-aged-101-20211012-p58z9z.html

I'm not Jewish. With each death of an elderly survivor, the world loses a little knowledge, a little compassion and a little wisdom.

[JI7]

1. Mr Jaku was a "beacon of light and hope"

That smile in that pic .........

[secondwind]

2. I read the entire article. What a personality. I wish I had met him.

[LenaBaby61]

3. Bless him, and I'm glad we had him here with us for 101 years 🙏🏻💖

[bearsfootball516]

4. I'm not sure how many Holocaust survivors still remain.

But I imagine it's not many.

[Behind the Aegis]

5. 400,000 according to one source

I was surprised by that number. But, I was curious too. This is an article from last year: Archivists are racing to identify every Jewish Holocaust victim

[bearsfootball516]

6. Agreed. I'm guessing the vast majority of those 400,000 were children at the time.

Started in 1941. For someone who was 20 years old, they would have been born in 1921, meaning they'd be 100 years old this year. My guess is the number of Holocaust survivors over 100 is very few and far between.