My Hometown Concentration Camp

Bernard Offen was born on April 17, 1929 and grew up in Krakow, Poland. He was among 57 of his family members that were taken to concentration camps, but only him and his 2 older brothers (Sam and Natan Offen). He survived 5 concentration camps including Plaszow, Julag, Mauthausen, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and Dachau-Kaufering. After surviving the Holocaust, Bernard served as a member of the US Army in the Korean War. After the Korean War, he built his own business and his own family. He is now 96 years old and he still lives in Krakow, Poland. He actively participates in activities at the JCC in Krakow, including the Ride For the Living (a 60 mile bike ride from Auschwitz-Birkeneau to the JCC Krakow). He wrote and published a book called My Hometown Concentration Camp in which he explains what his life was like in concentration camps and what his life was like after the war. Today he still remains active, despite his old age, and he continues to share stories from his past experiences in the Holocaust.