Survivor Stories

Joe Mandel was part of the infamous Death Marches that took place at the end of the Second World War.

He was marched from Mauthausen labour camp to Gunskichen, Austria, where he was finally liberated.

Twice Liberated

This video was screened at the opening of the March of the Living Exhibit at the United Nations WHEN YOU LISTEN TO A WITNESS, YOU BECOME A WITNESS, on Tuesday, 28 January 2014.

88-year-old Joe Mandel, a Holocaust survivor originally from Munkacs, Hungary, now living in Toronto, Canada, never shared his Holocaust experiences with anyone until he took part in the 2012 March of the Living. In this moving segment, Joe's return to Eastern Europe yields a most surprising and welcome reunion.


The annual March of the Living program brings thousands of young people from around the world each year on Holocaust Remembrance Day to Auschwitz-Birkenau to honour the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and to pledge to build a better world for all humanity.

Candles of Kindness

Joseph Gottdenker, a Polish-born Holocaust survivor, and a hidden child during the war, visits his parents’ hometown of Mielec, where he makes a remarkable - and heartwarming - discovery.

Czeslawa & Olga

For most of her life, Ms. Zak had two dreams:

  1. to fly on a plane

  2. to travel to Israel to meet the people she saved, their children and grandchildren.

On the 2013 March of the Living, in the presence of Czeslawa Zak and with the help of the Jewish Federations of Canada, Ms. Zak was promised her dream would come true. In the summer of 2013, Ms. Zak - 87 years young! - landed in Israel just a few days ago and took part in one of her life's most moving journeys.

Without a Doubt: The Story of Franciszek Pasławski

Servants of God - Marking the Opening of “The Museum of Poles Saving Jews in World War II”, Markowa, Poland. In honour of martyrs Józef & Wiktoria Ulma of Markowa and many other Righteous Among the Nations who risked their lives to save Jews in Poland during the Holocaust.

The event was held on March 17, 2016, at Congregation Habonim, Toronto and sponsored by the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland. Franciszek Pasławski, at the time of the event, was 93 years of age and was the last man, as far as known, designated as one of the Righteous Among the Nations living in Canada. For many decades he was assisted by The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous (https://jfr.org) an organization that provides financial support to aged and needy non-Jews who rescued Jews during the Holocaust and preserves their legacy through a national education program. He passed away in his sleep in September 2019 at 97 years of age.
The music is from André Rieu performing the Love theme from Romeo and Juliet, taken from the DVD "André Rieu - Romantic Moments."