Current:Home > MarketsShlomo Perel, a Holocaust survivor who inspired the film 'Europa Europa,' dies at 98-LoTradeCoin
Shlomo Perel, a Holocaust survivor who inspired the film 'Europa Europa,' dies at 98
View Date:2024-12-23 20:38:17
JERUSALEM — Shlomo Perel, who survived the Holocaust through surreal subterfuge and an extraordinary odyssey that inspired his own writing and an internationally renowned film, died on Thursday in central Israel. He was 98.
Perel was born in 1925 to a Jewish family in Brunswick, Germany, just several years before the Nazis came to power. He and his family fled to Lodz, Poland, after his father's store was destroyed and he was kicked out of school. But when the Nazis marched into Poland, he and his brother, Isaac, left their parents and fled further east. Landing in the Soviet Union, Perel and Isaac took refuge at children's home in what is now Belarus.
When the Germans invaded in 1941, Perel found himself trapped again by World War II's shifting front lines — this time, captured by the German army. To avoid execution, Perel disguised his Jewish identity, assumed a new name and posed as an ethnic German born in Russia.
He successfully passed, becoming the German army unit's translator for prisoners of war, including for Stalin's son. As the war wound down, Perel returned to Germany to join the paramilitary ranks of Hitler Youth and was drafted into the Nazi armed forces.
After Germany's surrender and the liberation of the concentration camps, Perel and Isaac, who survived the Dachau camp in southern Germany, were reunited. Perel became a translator for the Soviet military before immigrating to what is now Israel and joining the war surrounding its creation in 1948. His life regained some semblance of normalcy as he settled down in a suburb of Tel Aviv with his Polish-born wife and became a zipper-maker.
"Perel remained silent for many years," Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial, said in a statement, "mainly because he felt that his was not a Holocaust story."
But in the late 1980s, Perel couldn't keep silent about the tale of his wild gambit anymore. He wrote an autobiography that later inspired the 1991 Oscar-nominated film "Europa Europa."
As the film captivated audiences, Perel became a public speaker. He traveled to tell the world what he witnessed throughout the tumult of the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews were slaughtered by the Nazis, and to reflect on the painful paradoxes of his identity.
"Shlomo Perel's desire to live life to the fullest and tell his story to the world was an inspiration to all who met him and had the opportunity to work with him," said Simmy Allen, spokesperson for Yad Vashem.
Perel died surrounded by family at his home in Givatayim, Israel.
veryGood! (112)
Related
- Falling scaffolding plank narrowly misses pedestrians at Boston’s South Station
- Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn is ending her retirement at age 40 to make a skiing comeback
- Manhattan rooftop fire sends plumes of dark smoke into skyline
- Who will save Florida athletics? Gators need fixing, and it doesn't stop at Billy Napier
- 2 weeks after Peanut the Squirrel's euthanasia, owner is seeking answers, justice
- Knicks Player Ogugua Anunoby Nearly Crashes Into Anne Hathaway and Her Son During NBA Game
- Paraguay vs. Argentina live updates: Watch Messi play World Cup qualifying match tonight
- Two 'incredibly rare' sea serpents seen in Southern California waters months apart
- Anti-abortion advocates press Trump for more restrictions as abortion pill sales spike
- FBI raids New York City apartment of Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan, reports say
Ranking
- Federal judge denies request to block measure revoking Arkansas casino license
- Florida State can't afford to fire Mike Norvell -- and can't afford to keep him
- Outgoing North Carolina governor grants 2 pardons, 6 commutations
- Could trad wives, influencers have sparked the red wave among female voters?
- 'I heard it and felt it': Chemical facility explosion leaves 11 hospitalized in Louisville
- She's a trans actress and 'a warrior.' Now, this 'Emilia Pérez' star could make history.
- Brianna LaPaglia Addresses Zach Bryan's Deafening Silence After Emotional Abuse Allegations
- Halle Berry Rocks Sheer Dress She Wore to 2002 Oscars 22 Years Later
Recommendation
-
Demure? Brain rot? Oxford announces shortlist for 2024 Word of the Year: Cast your vote
-
More human remains from Philadelphia’s 1985 MOVE bombing have been found at a museum
-
Amazon's 'Cross' almost gets James Patterson detective right: Review
-
Beyoncé has released lots of new products. Here's a Beyhive gift guide for the holidays
-
Week 10 fantasy football rankings: PPR, half-PPR and standard leagues
-
Falling scaffolding plank narrowly misses pedestrians at Boston’s South Station
-
West Virginia expands education savings account program for military families
-
Tennessee suspect in dozens of rapes is convicted of producing images of child sex abuse