Eugeniusz Rozenblum

Eugeniusz's parents married in 1922 in the Soviet Union, where his father owned a textile mill. Fearing arrest by the Soviets for being "bourgeois," Eugeniusz's parents fled to Poland, where Eugeniusz was born.

1933-39: Eugeniusz was a secondary school student and was preparing to enter university, either in Poland or at the Hebrew University in Palestine. The German occupation of Lodz in September 1939 interrupted his schooling. One month after the occupation, a German soldier came to his family's door and tried to steal some jewelry. Eugeniusz's dog, a Great Dane named Rex, lunged but Eugeniusz restrained him. The soldier threatened to press charges but his family convinced him not to. He shot Rex before Eugeniusz's eyes.

1940-44: In 1940 the Jews of Lodz were forced into a ghetto. Both of Eugeniusz's parents died there. By the age of 20 he was alone. In 1944 he was herded onto a cattle car along with others from the ghetto. After several days, they arrived at Auschwitz. Two weeks later he was sent to the Dachau camp, where he contracted blood poisoning. A doctor told him that he had to amputate his toes. Just before the doctor began to operate, Eugeniusz jumped off the table and ran. He stepped on a large stone and, luckily, all the pus drained from his foot and he recovered.

After the war, Eugeniusz immigrated to the United States. He was the only survivor of the 70 people in his extended family.