The holocaust, which occurred in Europe during German Chancellor Adolf Hitler’s reign, is considered one of the most infamous chapters of history. After the Nazi dictator rose to power in Germany, millions of people belonging to the Jewish community were thrown into concentration camps, where they were subjected to different forms of torture. Most of these prisoners succumbed to the inhuman living conditions of these camps. However, there were a few who managed to survive the cruelty and narrate the horrific episodes of their past. While some of these individuals managed to escape the clutches of the German Police and move to England and the United States, a few others toiled hard at the labor camps until Hitler’s era finally ended. The list of lucky holocaust survivors includes the names of several noteworthy Hollywood celebrities. Acclaimed filmmaker Roman Polanski, Branko Lustig – the producer of blockbusters like ‘Schindler’s List’ and ‘Gladiator’ as well as Meyer Gottleib – producer of the flick ‘Secret Life Of Walter Mitty’ are a few. In a recent interview, Roman Polanski, the maker of films like ‘The Pianist’ recalled a terrifying incident he witnessed. The filmmaker who was a child back then saw a woman being shot dead by an SS officer. The incident sends shivers down Polanski’s spine even today. There are several such people who survived the tragedy and some of their stories are quite gripping. We have listed the names of quite a few holocaust survivors. It’s high time you read their stories.

Vote for Your Favourite Celebrities Who Managed To Survive The Holocaust

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 1 

Elie Wiesel

( Author, Holocaust Survivor, Political Activist and Winner of 1986 Nobel Peace Prize)

Birthdate: September 30, 1928

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Sighetu Marmației, Romania

Died: July 2, 2016

Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist Elie Wiesel is best remembered for his book Night, which relates his traumatic experience as a Jewish prisoner in the Nazi concentration camps. After surviving the Holocaust, he became a journalist and a human rights activist, and also helped in establishing the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

 2 

Hannah Arendt

(One of the Most Influential Political Theorists of the 20th Century)

Birthdate: October 14, 1906

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Linden - Mitte, Hanover, Germany

Died: December 4, 1975

Hannah Arendt was a political theorist. Widely regarded as one of the20th century's most prominent political thinkers, Hannah Arendt's articles and books have had a significant influence on philosophy and political theory. Her life and work inspired the 2012 biographical drama film, Hannah Arendt. Her work has also inspired several biographies written by popular authors.

 3 

Otto Frank

(German Businessman and Father of ‘Anne Frank', the Author of 'The Diary of a Young Girl’)

Birthdate: May 12, 1889

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Province of Hesse-Nassau

Died: August 19, 1980

Otto Frank, the father of Anne Frank, published her journal, detailing her experience during the Holocaust, as The Diary of a Young Girl, after her death. Otto was the only person in his family to survive the Holocaust. A former banker, he had also served in the German army.

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 4 

Simone Veil

(The First Woman to Become the President of the European Parliament)

Birthdate: July 13, 1927

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Nice, France

Died: June 30, 2017

A Holocaust survivor, Simone Veil had lost her father, mother, and brother to Nazi concentration camps. She grew up to be a magistrate and became the first woman president of the European Parliament. She had also been an able health minister and rallied for abortion rights of French women.

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 5 

Gerda Weissmann Klein

(American Holocaust Survivor Who Became an Inspiring Speaker and Human Rights Activist)

Birthdate: May 8, 1924

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Bielsko, Poland

Died: April 3, 2022

Gerda Weissmann Klein is a Polish American writer. She survived the Holocaust in which her entire family perished. Later on, she wrote an autobiographical account of the Holocaust, All but My Life, which was adapted into a short film. She and her husband became advocates of Holocaust education. She was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.

 6 

Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria

(Prince)

Birthdate: May 3, 1905

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Munich, Germany

Died: July 8, 1996

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 7 

Rudolf Vrba

(Former biochemist became known for having escaped from the camp in April 1944, at the height of the Holocaust)

Birthdate: September 11, 1924

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Topoľčany, Slovakia

Died: March 27, 2006

Birthdate: August 1, 1924

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Dąbrowica, Poland

Died: September 29, 2010

Georges Charpak was a physicist whose invention and development of the multiwire proportional chamber earned him the prestigious Nobel Prize in Physics in 1992. He is also credited with co-founding several companies, including SuperSonic Imagine and Molecular Engines Laboratories. Over the course of his illustrious career, Georges Charpak was also honored with other awards, such as the Golden Plate Award.

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 9 

Natalia Karp

(Polish Concert Pianist and Holocaust Survivor)

Birthdate: February 27, 1911

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Kraków, Poland

Died: July 9, 2007

Natalia Karp was a Polish pianist and Holocaust survivor. During World War II, Karp and her sister were sent to the Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp where she was ordered to play the piano by SS functionary Amon Göth on his birthday. Impressed with her performance, Göth spared her and her sister. Karp survived the war and continued playing into her 90s.

 10 

Michel Thomas

(Linguist)

Birthdate: February 3, 1914

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Lodz, Poland

Died: January 8, 2005

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 11 

Mirosław Hermaszewski

(Astronaut)

Birthdate: September 15, 1941

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Lipniki, Poland

 12 

Henry Morgentaler

(Physician)

Birthdate: March 19, 1923

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Łódź

Died: May 29, 2013

Jewish Polish-born-Canadian physician and activist Henekh Morgentaler, CM, is noted for his abortion rights advocacy and commitment to enhance healthcare for women. He is counted among the first Canadian doctors who carried out vasectomies for inserting intrauterine devices to prevent pregnancies and provided birth-control pills to unmarried women. He became the first doctor in North America who used vacuum aspiration.

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 13 

Francis Lemarque

(Musician)

Birthdate: November 25, 1917

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: April 20, 2002

 14 

Olga Lengyel

(Writer)

Birthdate: October 19, 1908

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Transylvania

Died: April 15, 2001

The author of Five Chimneys, an autobiographical account of her time as a prisoner at Auschwitz-Birkenau, Olga Lengyel was eventually the only survivor from her family. A physician’s assistant, she later moved to the US and formed the Memorial Library there, which now raises awareness about the Holocaust.

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 15 

Thomas Blatt

(Writer)

Birthdate: April 15, 1927

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Izbica, Poland

Died: October 31, 2015

Birthdate: July 31, 1919

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Turin, Italy

Died: April 11, 1987

Primo Levi was an Italian Jewish partisan, chemist, writer, and Holocaust survivor. Over the course of his career, Levi authored several books, including If This Is a Man, which narrates his experience in the Auschwitz concentration camp. The book was adapted into a stage production titled Primo in 2004. Levi's 1963 memoir titled The Truce was adapted into a film.

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 17 

Curt Lowens

(German Actor)

Birthdate: November 17, 1925

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Olsztyn, Poland

Died: May 8, 2017

 18 

Ben Helfgott

(British Holocaust Survivor, Olympian and Former Champion Weightlifter)

Birthdate: November 22, 1929

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Piotrków Trybunalski, Poland

Height: 5'5" (165 cm)

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 19 

Tommy Lapid

(Serbian-Born Israeli Journalist and Politician)

Birthdate: December 27, 1931

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Novi Sad, Serbia

Died: June 1, 2008

Serbian-born Israeli politician Yosef Lapid started his career as a print and broadcast journalist who went on to win the prestigious Sokolov Award. He then focused on politics and joined the Zionist Shinui party, before switching to the Secular Faction. He also served as Israel’s deputy prime minister and minister of justice.

 20 

Claude Bourdet

(Writer)

Birthdate: October 28, 1909

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Paris, France

Died: March 20, 1996

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 21 

Joel Teitelbaum

(Spiritual Leader and Founder of the 'Satmar Dynasty')

Birthdate: January 13, 1887

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Sighetu Marmației

Died: August 19, 1979

Joel Teitelbaum was a Romanian philosopher and rabbi. He is credited with founding the Satmar dynasty. An important personality in the post-war renaissance of Hasidic Judaism, Teitelbaum is best remembered for adopting a strictly conservative line and rejecting modernity. He was also a fierce opponent of Zionism.