Amidst current events, a just-published book about a young man that survived 9 Nazi concentration camps reminds readers of the hardships Jewish people had to overcome throughout history. “My Name is B-1259 – I Survived 9 Nazi Concentration Camps” by Michael Brown is the story of Elias Feinzilberg, whose goal in the later years of his life was the same as this book: to remind the living of the tragedies of the Holocaust and the dangers of hatred and antisemitism so history will never be repeated.
“My good friend Jacob knew I was a writer, so when he told me that his then 102-year-old father had survived nine Nazi concentration camps, I was naturally dubious; but my writer instinct told me that if there was any truth to this bold statement, it was my duty to investigate it. As I delved into the story what I learned was truly amazing and compelled me to pursue and tell the story in this book,” said writer Michael Brown.
Elias’ story starts in 1939 as a young man living in Lodz, Poland, when he was separated from his family as the Nazis invaded his country at the start of World War II. Rounded up and shipped to a concentration camp, his life expectancy was at best a few months. The book tracks Elias’ story as he is transferred to a succession of death camps, subjected to deprivation and degradation, but not always passive as he deceives his captors and even manages sabotage of their war efforts. Along his odyssey, he encounters Esther who would later become his wife. Their meeting reinforced a promise he had made to his father, to survive. And that, he did.
In the final analysis, this book is a story that had to be told about the human spirit, love, and triumph. It is no less relevant in today’s environment of rising antisemitism and Holocaust denial.
“Elias died on December 20, 2021, at the age of 104, before this book was completed. With my primary source of material gone, I turned to fill in the gaps by reading transcripts from the dozens of speaking events Elias gave at universities and at political and social events in Jerusalem where he spent his final years. Elias has been the subject of many articles and television segments worldwide,” according to Brown.
Michael Brown is a retired Hollywood film editor and the winner of three Emmy Awards. This is his 6th novel.
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