Background
His mother, Rochme Gittel Schiffer, and his sister Miriam were deported, probably to Belzec extermination camp, where they were murdered.
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book
My Hometown Concentration Camp: A Survivor's Account to Life in the Krakow Ghetto and Plaszow Concentration Camp (Library of Holocaust Testimonies)
(My Hometown Concentration Camp tells the story of the you...)
My Hometown Concentration Camp tells the story of the young Bernard Offen's endurance and survival of the Kraków Ghetto and five concentration camps, including Plaszów and Auschwitz-Birkenau, until his liberation near Dachau by American troops in 1945. The author tells of his experiences in the ghetto and camps and how he set out, after the war, in search of his brothers, eventually finding them in Italy with the Polish Army. Having returned to the United States, Bernard Offen was drafted into the US Army to serve in the Korean War. After the war, he founded his own business and built a family, both helping to restore a sense of normality to his life. This was the start of his own unique process of healing that led, ultimately, to his retirement and decision to dedicate his life to educating audiences around the world about his experiences during the Holocaust. Bernard Offen's story recounts his one-man journey across America, Europe, Israel, and back to his native Poland, and his development as a filmmaker, educator, and healer. My Hometown Concentration Camp will touch readers through the strength of the author's self-determination to attempt to confront and conquer the traumatic experiences he witnessed as a young man.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0853036365/?tag=2022091-20
Bernard Offen
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Career
He survived the Krakow Ghetto and several Nazi concentration camps. Bernard survived the Nazi concentration camps of Płaszów, Julag, Mauthausen, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and Dachau. In 1951 the Offen brothers decided to emigrate to the United States.
In 1981 Bernard returned to Poland for the first time since the war to confront the demons of his past
From 1991 on Bernard began to spend his summers in Krakow dealing with the past through what he calls the "process of healing". He started taking people on tours of the former ghetto, Płaszów and Auschwitz-Birkenau.
His experiences Bernard documented in four movies. Austrian Holocaust Memorial Servants (Gedenkdieners) serving their Memorial Service in Krakow cooperate frequently with Bernard Offen and take part in his walks to the ghetto area and Płaszów camp.
Works
book
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My Hometown Concentration Camp: A Survivor's Account to Life in the Krakow Ghetto and Plaszow Concentration Camp (Library of Holocaust Testimonies)
(My Hometown Concentration Camp tells the story of the you...)
-
My Hometown Concentration Camp: A Survivor's Account to Life in the Krakow Ghetto and Plaszow Concentration Camp (Library of Holocaust Testimonies)
