All at once, Papa Ben makes us proud and humbles us. He has dedicated his life to sharing his stories with all those willing to listen, most recently at the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust (LAMOTH). This past Sunday, June 14th at LAMOTH Ben read passages from his book Living a Life That Matters: from Nazi Nightmare to American Dream. For those of you who do not know, Papa Ben is a Holocaust survivor. And while most in his shoes would like to forget such memories, he willingly relives them each and every day by sharing his story to ensure that others will not forget.
Ben had a pretty normal childhood until he and his family were forced to go on the run and eventually into a Jewish ghetto. From there he was sent to concentration camps Auschwitz-Birkenau, Durnhau, Buchenwald, then Dachau and after what felt like a lifetime Ben was finally liberated from his nightmare. He eventually traveled to New York City and later to Los Angeles. He started as a driver for UPS and eventually became the successful entrepreneur we know today.
Years later he founded The Zachor Holocaust Remembrance Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the remembrance of the Holocaust. And soon after that he unveiled his bakery line, Papa Ben’s Kitchen specializing in Mandelbroyt, an eastern European biscotti-like cookie that he fondly remembers learning how to bake with his father before the war.
Ben has taken his tragic past and transformed it in to something beautiful. Through his speaking, his foundation and now his book he is teaching people the power of love.
“More than anything else, I understand the power of love to eliminate hate. The love of my parents, who were massacred by the Nazis, gave me the foundation that my life has been built on. My love for them and my brutally murdered sister and brothers fills my heart to this day. And in the horror of Hitler’s concentration camps, there was no way to even imagine that one day I would live to find my soul mate, my best friend and the love of my life, my wide of 63 years, Jean. For us to have been blessed with our two beautiful daughters and four amazing grandchildren plus the upcoming arrival of our first great-grandchild, is proof that love is stronger than hate.” – Living a Life That Matters: from Nazi Nightmare to American Dream
To learn more about Ben, his history, his company Papa Ben’s Kitchen and the change he is dedicating himself to making, pick up a copy of his book here. You won’t regret it!
