Iam Greek . My uncle was executed on a line up by the nazzis. He was 17yo. The house still standing, the bullet holes are still visible. He sacrificed his life to save others as he refused to give out names of the resistance group he was part of! Leonidas his name 🙏💕
After hearing Mr. Rabbi Mangel’s story regarding his encounter with the SS officer who helped him throughout the death march to camps inside Germany and Austria, I suddenly came to realize that I may have discovered who this specific individual was that showed him enormous generosity and mercy amidst a dark era in history. For context, I had previously watched a documentary on the SS personnel stationed throughout the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps, specifically on Josef Mengele, and eventually came across Mr. Mangel’s testimony while I was in college, and immediately came to realize that there is one individual who not only has a high probability of supporting Rabbi Mangel’s story, but could possibly well be the officer who remained a mystery throughout Mr. Mangel’s life. The officer in question, as I have come to theorize, may be SS-Untersturmführer Hans Münch, more commonly known as “The Good Man of Auschwitz” who refused to assist in the extermination operations at Auschwitz, and developed many elaborate ruses to keep inmates alive and away from Mengele’s experiments, all in accordance to his Hippocratic oath. He was the only person acquitted of war crimes at the 1947 Auschwitz trial, where many former inmates testified in his favor. Regarding Mr. Münch, he worked as a bacteriological research doctor, who often protected and cured inmates that would have been or were experimented on by Mengele, and had it not been for Münch they would have been killed as Mengele saw no further use for them. Before the camp was abandoned, Münch reportedly provided some inmates with pistols to assist in their escape. It was also known that Münch did partake in the evacuation of Auschwitz, and possibly went out of his way to help Rabbi Mangel when was a child, though this is my theory. Since Mr. Mangel claims he never saw this man again, as he was sent to Gusen concentration camp in northern Austria, this could further support my theory as Münch was dispatched to Dachau concentration camp in southern Germany (268.8 km or 167 miles apart). Later in life, Münch took part in discussion meetings and commemoration ceremonies of the Holocaust, and was invited to Auschwitz in 1995, appreciated for having saved many prisoners at the risk of his own life. He also denounced Holocaust denial, as well as his SS colleagues that got away or joined HIAG, and declared that what happened at Auschwitz should never be allowed to happen again. He died at the age of 90 in 2001. Many stories have been told about Auschwitz from surviving inmates, some spoke about an SS officer (or soldier) who assisted them and spared them from death, but were unable to identify them. I thought it would be a new interesting discovery for those who love and love to share history, hoping that many can take example from its dark and bright lessons, in order to ensure a better future for generations to come. I must say that I’m glad I’ve heard Mr. Mangel’s story as it not only must live on, but it also serves as a perfect example of supporting evidence to connect a whole consistent story within the pages of history.
My grandfather was headed to gas chamber.Nazi soldiers would select someone to stay alive,others to go to the chamber. My grandfather was famous footbal player in that time and one soldier recognized him,asked him is he that player,he said he is.And he told him to follow group of people who stayed alive were saved. He was lucky.He survived Aushwitz.But when he came back home,he found out his younger brother was killed in country he played and studied law by opposite party.He was in mid 20s..My grandfather lived by 76 but his eyes were rarely happy.He died on my 12 birthday😢
Dear Rabbi Mangel, I am a child of war children, from the Netherlands. To hear your story made me cry, growing up in the Netherlands most of our history classes were about the war. My parents could not talk about the war they both suffered from CPTSD. My grandfather was not Jewish but he was a big man and picked up during a round up and was sent to a labor camp. When he came home he was so thin that he was unrecognizable but he lived. Many didn’t. It is stories such as yours that need to be told. To stop hatred from arising again.
But even this "good" Nazi officer was participating in the murder of thousands of already-tortured and tormented starving Jews. Maybe he was just trying to redeem himself since he knew the war was lost for them anyway. What if someone murders a hundred people and helps one. Does that make him a mensch? Not quite. I'm glad he helped the little boy though for whatever reason.
If you start listening to Rabbi Nissan Mangel, you cannot stop listening. Annabel gave him the space to tell his story. I compliment her for that. Thank you Rabbi for your story.
As a Slovak, I always get choked up when walking around our completely empty synagogue, since there are no Jews in my town anymore... it is a very painful reminder
The story you told Mr. Rabbi Mangel touched my heart deeply. As a German woman i had dealt with our own history a lot and had learned a lot about it in history at school. I can still remember how our history teacher showed us a film about a concentration camp and i cried at the sight of these thin people. Later when i was a adult i visited the Bergen- Belsen KZ memorial and the sight of the many mass graves had also moved me very deeply in my heart. I just couldn`t understand these brutal SS-men and women , at home they had small children themselves and were normal parents and elsewhere they had murdered babies and small children without show ingany sympathy. For me everyone is people no matter what religion or nationality or skin colour they belong to. May all victims RIP . 💞🙏
My father was also on the death march and stories he told me he was walking bear footed in the snow without shoes. This story is mind blowing It had to be Eliyhu Hnavi there no other way. Beautiful
Did anyone notice how the facial expressions of this young lady changed as the interview progressed, from a happy cheerful face to utter shock... She was almost brought to tears near the end of it. :(
My maternal grandfather was interned from Sremska Mitrovica (Serbia) to Mauthausen, from which he escaped after a while. On his way back home, there was a Catholic priest in the same compartment. When the soldiers came to check the papers of each passenger, the priest told them to GET OUT, saving the lives of my grandfather and his friend. He also said to them that there would be a more detailed check before the last train station and that they should get out before then. Unfortunately, the rest of the family was murdered by fascists, the youngest brother being 11.
I heard this in about 1992 in Melbourne Australia. I was staying I the same house as Mangel and sat and chatted with him for several meals. Our host was my spiritual guide the saintly Rabbi Aharon Serebryanski. Rabbi Mangel, still a teenager, went from the Auschwitz death March to New York and rabbinical studiies. His mastery of the Ebglish language in the USA enabled him to write beautiful English translations of the Hebrew lturgy and the most profound works of Chasidic philosophy. He was an intellectual giant and a sweet and righteous man. The visit was one of t he most important of my ljfe.
He was saved by isolated compassion. Please all human beings, even our lightest touch of kindness can change the trajectory of who we become ♥️ This man is wonderful. Thank you for interviewing and posting
Many years ago, I saw a Holocaust documentary in which a Rabbi said: “History is the moral tutor of mankind. That which we do not remember, we may repeat.” I am not Jewish or in an way religious, but I believe that statement with all of my heart. I don’t have the words to express my gratitude to people like Rabbi Mangel for sharing their stories with us, nor can I express how important I believe these stories to be. Thank you to Rabbi Mangel and this channel from the bottom of my heart. May we never forget or repeat. 🙏🙏❤
That young SS officer ( ?) must have taken a strong liking to the young, suffering chap. Maybe he reminded him of his brother. He kept coming back to make sure the boy was as safe as possible... nicely narrated without bitter feelings
I heard this story from Rabbi Mangel himself in Crown Heights years ago, and it was the first of many such stories that have buoyed my faith when I was in doubt and afraid.
This story made me cry. The SS officer was an angel sent to you. I saw it before you told the ending of your story. Your story started with a dense forest and ended with a dense forest upon liberation. Thank you for this video.
I am so very sorry about what happened to you. In my early childhood in the 1950th, when I heard stories about the war (listening to the adults talking about it) my heart already opened up for Jews. I am a German who has read a lot of Jewish biographies and who loves the Jewish customs.
I could listen to this man for hours. He's a fantastic storyteller, and the fact that he's talking about his own experiences makes it even more gripping and moving.
This was an amazing and uplifting interview. I am not Jewish, and have the deepest respect for Rabbi Mangel; truly a gift from God. I believe he was in the presence of an angel or a disguised prophet; something touched that young SS soldier.
It's good a young lady would go and listen to an elderly man and listen to his story. Granted it's a show on you tube, but still. Elderly people have stories to tell. As here, he came from another world from hers.
I recently found out I have Jewish roots on my mother's side that had been hidden and forgotten due to forced conversions. I've always held an anguish in my heart for the sufferings in the Holocaust, and discovering these roots is like discovering a piece of myself I never knew was missing. Thank you, Rabbi, for sharing this. I will remember it.
Thank you, Rabbi Mangel, for bearing witness to the Sho’ah and sharing your story. May the memory of all those who died be blessed. May we all learn from history and work to be compassionate and forgiving so that we may live in peace.
So moving 😢😢😢. I can't stop crying 😭😭😭. When he was speaking about the death March, I remembered the stories been told about death March of Armenians and Assyrians of Asia Minor during world war i. The reports said that Germans were watching the atrocities done by ottomans and did nothing. They learned from them and used it to Jewish people during world war ii. 😢
Amazing interview! It brought me to tears. Thank you for sharing. I'm a Christian; and, I completely believe that these interviews are necessary so that what happened then will never happen again. We must learn from history -- even the evil chapters of it like this -- so that we choose paths that won't repeat it.
Thank you for this first hand account from this wonderful gentleman. We all need to hear the voices of those who lived through this horrible time in human history.🇨🇦🇮🇱
I am also from the former Czechoslovakia (but I live in Prague). Amazing testimony. I am well aware of the horrors (I teach history at a high school) and have visited Auschwitz and Terezin several times. But I will never understand how some people could behave so bestially, like demons from hell. How could they lose their humanity like that? Maybe it's because such people didn't know God (I mean they didn't hear Him in themselves)? This is the only way I can imagine that someone can be lost like this. I was impressed that the rabbi never doubted God. And I also believe that the end of this age is near. I have thought a lot about suffering (especially the kind that the rabbi experienced). I found the answer in the book of Job. Whoever understood what was the answer that Job finally received from God, so that he was completely satisfied and no further questions were needed - he understood the wisdom of this book and also understood the meaning of all suffering. But the one who didn't understand the book - it can't even be explained to him.
Thank you for your story, dear Rabbi Mangel. May God bless you and keep you all the days of your life! You are a true inspiration. Be blessed Regine Geyer (believing christian from Germany)
I consider myself very fortunate to have made friends in Germany who are remarkably kind and considerate now. Some people have survived those times with a deep respect for everyone, ad I think this story is a good example of the survival of love even in the darkest times. He is a fantastic storyteller, as are so many jews I have met. His strength and good humor are a miracle considering this horrible history. Why can’t we all renew our lessons learned that gave us such a golden age in the 50’s, and for sure we must take this story and refresh the idea of humanity in everyone.
I’m a Christian, for me this Rabbis story is incredible! Where’s Hollywood? The darkest part of the night…chaos, suffrage. Wow. This Rabbi’s testimony! I had to hold my breath many times, but at the end? My Master, is coming soon! I love this man’s Witness n testimony. Save Lord save!
Amazing testimony. We must never forget. Our species ability for inhumanity juxtaposed with his story of the SS man - a faint flickering flame of hope, and decency, and humanity amidst the darkness Rabbi Mangel, and countless others were submerged in - gives me faith that goodness and love is and will always be more powerful than darkness and evil...but we must stand on guard, today more than ever, and be vigilant.
i listen to him and I take it as a lesson: to guard against indifference to the suffering, oppression or victimisation of any race, nationality or group. Our humanity, our very survival as a species hinges on our ability to feel for all and stand for what is right. Nowadays , it has become popular to replace empathy with clever reasoning, cold logic. We may think ourselves out of existence if Mind replaces heart. I rejoice in your survival and well-being, Sir.
Man that was incredible. I started watching for a min but was thinking I’d put my phone away and doing something else… couldn’t stop hearing his story.
B''H! Thank you for yours testimony, Honorable Rabbi Nissan. You can be sure that just as you were helped by HaShem in the decisive moments for yours life, through the account you did, the same HaShem helped other people in difficult situations to get over them well . HaShem bless you!
It pays to stick up for yourself. This man is a great exemplar of that principle. I also said "no" in the face of a massive trend of fear and have never regretted it.
Thank you so much for telling your story. It is so important that the world remembers. I was watching a documentary about the Holocaust the other day and was horrified to see in the comments a post by a Holocaust denier stating baldly that the Holocaust never happened and sneering at anyone who was 'foolish' enough to believe this 'nonsense'. Hearing testimonies like this is all the proof anyone needs to prove that it happened. God bless you and all the survivors.
If the Holocaust did not happened then WWII did not happened..... Those people who do not believe there was a holocaust have made hate and stupidity to blind their minds.
His pride and determination of all his strength has made me cry both out of awe and out of grief as a parent to hear what a child had to endure and even do to himself to survive. I wish I could talk to him. I want to learn how to raise a family to have such courage and tenacity as him. I have learned so much from him even as an adult and it has made me rethink a few things.
😢😢😢 GD bless both for such an extraordinary interview. My Grandparents OBM were Holocaust survivors. Whilst my Grandma used to speak about the Holocaust, my grandpa never spoke a word - 😢. All his five children and his wife were butchered by the Nazis. GD bless him for wanting to rebuild his life after so much suffering 😢
My father, then 12 years old, was on the march from Auschwitz to Dachau. His father died three weeks before they reached Dachau, from gangrene. At one point my father had dysentery and did not have the strength to walk. Two other prisoners each took an arm, put it over their shoulders, and dragged him. The SS guard, walking beside them, repeatedly said to my father, "Just step aside sir. Just step aside and I will shoot you". Different part of the line I guess. All of these stories are so important. There are so few survivors left. Every videotaped story is a testimonial from eye witnesses. Simon Wiesenthal Project has 6 hours of tape of my father. My older brother videotaped my grandmother before the project started and before the world heard of Ernst Zundel or James Keegstra. Thank you, Rabbi. Am Israel Chai.
Blessing to have this man be alive to give his testimony in a format like this. I wish every neo-Nazi/Holocaust denier would be made to listen to this and then walk that death march and see if they feel the same at the end.
Divine Hand of G-d saved the Rabbis life,nothing would surprise me this SS soilder May have been a angel sent by G-d to save the Rabbi,we must keep our faith in G-d and never give up even in the darkest of times we keep trying and keep asking for G-ds help, it's where our Salvation comes from Am Israel Hai
Kindness can come from the strangest of places. I have no doubt the SS soldier was a man, be his moment of decency caused by God or whatever we believe in.
I love to hear these survivors tell us their stories... Although so long ago all the details are there.. Very difficult to understand their ability to deal with all they suffered..
I live in Košice, Slovakia. I knew that there was a transport hub camp near big brick factory (which no longer exists) in Košice (in ww2 it was annexed by Hungary). Košice was a transport hub for transports from Hungary to Polish concentration camps. There is one old synagogue from 1920s that serves the purpose of opera house, but there is also another one from the same era that still serves its original purpose.
Man’s inhumanity against humanity still goes on. This rabbi’s experience is heart wrenching. I hope he stands up for the inhumanity still going on in the world for others. His words could have a huge impact.
Rabbi Mangle, you have inspired me tremendously with your strength and courage. You are a great reminder that God is with us and loves us more than we can imagine, even though he allows us to go through great suffering, perhaps that we can morph into a beautiful human being, as you have. Absolutely heartbreaking story, but so beautiful in so many ways. I am sure you have blessed many of us with your story. May God continue to bless you with joy and His peace which is beyond understanding.
What an extraordinary video Both Rabbi Mangel and Annabel were truly excellent And what a story, it really gave me a much more vivid idea of how the death march was Horrific and yet miraculous
It's amazing when you find out that your grandmother was secretly Jewish because she was afraid to let her son know. Amazing and humbling to realize that what one thought had happened to others had actually happened in your own family.
I'm a Catholic, but religion is irrelevant when listening to the Rabbi. My heart was so sad, but his miraculous survival gave me hope. Bless his heart ❤️
This is one of the best stories I have ever heard, I'm so glad I watched this! This story it's a great example of the powers of the universe. His optimism created all of the miracles that saved him. I also believe that the SS guard was actually a friendly spirit in disguise. Loved it! Greetings from Brazil ❤🙌🏻
Such a sad but beautiful story ! I always believed in Hashem, except that I now believe more strongly. It's true, Jews are NEVER alone. Baruch Atah Elehenu.
I love Rabbi Mengel. He's adorable, and I'm so grateful to HaShem that He brought him through this horror, and has allowed him to bear witness to it.🇭🇲
