SAN DIEGO (Press Release) — “What kept me going was my belief in G-d and the hope to be able to be reunited with my family,” said Ben Midler as he recalls his harrowing experience as a child at the Auschwitz concentration camp where his entire family was murdered. Now, at 95, the San Diego resident will take an emotional trip back to the largest and deadliest of the camps during an exclusive “Holocaust to Independence” Mission, hosted by Friends of the IDF (FIDF), from April 19-27, on the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel. This time, Midler will be entering the gates of Auschwitz with protectors of the Jewish people, a delegation of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officers.
As he prepares for the upcoming mission – perhaps his last visit to Poland – Midler said, “Man’s inhumanity, antisemitism, and the loss of my childhood could have killed me or kept me down, but I created a new life and new love for myself and my family. Loving my own family made me strong. I am compelled to speak about the Holocaust to schools, colleges and I’ve spoken to many branches of the U.S. Army. My goal is to not forget the atrocities that happened in the Holocaust and the effects of antisemitism.”
Accompanied by fellow survivor David Schaecter, Midler will join more than 80 Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) supporters from across the country, alongside a delegation of IDF soldiers, as they embark on an incredible nine-day journey of remembrance and renewal, in Poland and Israel. “From Holocaust to Independence” will bring Jewish history to life, from its darkest moments to the most triumphant, culminating in Israel’s 75th Independence Day.
The Mission is part of FIDF’s Witnesses in Uniform Program which offers soldiers a first-hand look at the unfathomable horrors of the Holocaust, leading to a new, profound understanding of their Jewish identity and heritage.
Midler was born in Bialystok, Poland, in 1928 and was the only surviving family member of his family who remained in Poland during the war. After living in a ghetto for two years, he was taken to six concentration camps between the ages of 15 to 17 and survived because he was able to work at these camps. Midler later came to Israel (then Palestine) and fought in the Palmach’s “Harel” Unit, in the battle to free Jerusalem in 1948 during the War of Independence. He is the author of The Life of A Child Survivor from Bialystok, Poland, a biography of a 13-year-old boy which tells from a child survivor’s perspective how he escaped concentration camps, executions squads, and the gas chambers. He wrote the book in his 80s to provide a living history. A resident of San Diego since 1984, Midler and his wife, Esther, have three daughters, six grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
The Mission will begin in Krakow, Poland, and participants will visit the Auschwitz camp, where more than one million Jews were systematically starved, tortured and murdered between 1941-1945. They will visit the Zbylitowaska Gora Village and Buczyna Forest to retrace the steps where more than 800 children were executed by the Nazis, and continue to the Kupa synagogue, the Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Krakow and on to the Krakow Jewish Ghetto.
The group will then fly to Israel where they will have the opportunity to attend the National Memorial Ceremony dedicated to fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism at the Kotel with state officials including Israel’s President and IDF Chief of Staff. The group will visit IDF bases, meet soldiers serving on Israel’s front lines and commanders in elite units, commemorate Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror, and celebrate Israel’s 75th Independence Day with those who ensure Israel’s safety and its future existence.
“The Mission serves as one of the last opportunities for these survivors to return to Auschwitz and share its dreadful stories,” said Steve Weil, CEO of FIDF. “We will walk through the gates of hell, where countless Jews suffered and perished at the hands of the Nazis. We will ensure the stories of survivors live on, safeguarded by those brave soldiers who defend and protect the State of Israel, and Jewish people around the world.”
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Preceding provided by Friends of the IDF