Eddie Jaku- a 101 year old Auschwitz concentration camp survivor.
At 99 years old gave a TEDX SYDNEY talk about his memoirs and received standing ovation by over 6,000 people.
At 100 years old he wrote an International best-selling book “The Happiest Man on Earth “
Self-proclaimed as ‘the happiest man on earth’, he saw death every day throughout WWII, and because he managed to survive, made a vow to himself to smile every day. Eddie has been married to Flore for 73 years, they have two sons, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Eddie has volunteered at the Sydney Jewish Museum since its inception in 1992.
Eddie Jaku OAM, born Abraham Jakubowicz in Germany in 1920. His family considered themselves German, first, Jewish second.
On 9 November 1938, the night immortalised as Kristallnacht, Eddie returned home from boarding school to an empty house.
At dawn Nazi soldiers burst in, Eddie was beaten and taken to Buchenwald. Eddie was released and with his father escaped to Belgium and then France, but was again captured and sent to a camp, and thereafter to Auschwitz. On route, Eddie managed to escape back to Belgium where he lived in hiding with his parents and sister.
October 1943, Eddie’s family were arrested and again sent to Auschwitz where his parents were both murdered. In 1945, Eddie was sent on a ‘death march’ but once again escaped and hid in a forest eating slugs and snails until June 1945 he was finally rescued by allied soldiers.
What is next for this extraordinary man?
In this lively chat find out how Eddie coped with these unimaginable horrors knowing that he lost his family, friends and country.
A witness of the most horrendous time in our history.
• Tune in to find out what is next for Eddie and how he has lived life since being rescued from all those atrocities!
• When he came out of the camp he went to hospital…he was 65% dead and he made it. What were his thoughts.
• How he met his wife and also gained a mum.
• What did he think when he went to visit a fellow Auschwitz survivor Lena Goldstein with his wife at aged care centre and why he thinks she died within 3 months of being there.
• Why Australia is a country of opportunities. His views of working as opposed to starting a business.
• Advice for children and why he thinks spoiling children is the worst thing we can do for our children.
• What did his kids give to him when he turned 90 years old and why?
• Passion …why is it important?
• His thoughts on Covid Pandemic and what he thinks about people who live in the past.
• He no longer believes in God or religion, however what does he believe in.
• His view on medication and self-healing.
• What does Eddie think is the only thing we can double when we share?
• What is his take on Pandemic Fear?
• He went to Monte Carlo and when he returned to Belgium he cut his fingers on a machine-he went to hospital run by nuns who wanted to cut them off to the first knuckle…what was his response why-I like my nails.
• His thoughts on money and health … children and their values.
• His views on the quality of food and tips on how, when and what we should eat.
• His view on France.
• His view on family and the importance of educating children and adults to respect one another. Stop violence and his views on drunks.
• Why people don´t want responsibility.
• Why he doesn’t block what happened in the concentration camp and what his mission is.
• If there was one thing, he could do to change the world what would it be.
• What is his wish for the world.
Happiest-Man-Earth-Eddie-Jaku
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/bestsellers/books/4901886051/ref=zg_b_bs_4901886051_1
Please watch this short interview with Norman Seligman, CEO and Honorary Secretary , Sydney Jewish Museum to find out what is happening there and the latest state of the art project to keep the stories alive for future generations.
"Where history has a voice"
https://sydneyjewishmuseum.com.au/
Social Media
https://www.facebook.com/Holocaust-Survivor-Eddie-Jaku-101183865077208
Book
https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/eddie-jaku/the-happiest-man-on-earth/9781529066333No.:~:text=Published%20as%20Eddie%20turns%20a,in%20the%20darkest%20of%20times.