(haipo) – Stefan Cohen’s story is much more than a personal testimony from the Holocaust; it is a story of endurance, hope, dream and resurrection. The personal story of a little Jewish boy from Germany, who survived the Nazi hell, became a civil engineer in the Land of Israel, and dedicated his life to telling what he went through, to warning future generations and to building a better world. He passed away a few months ago in good health, at almost 95 years old. His daughter, Yifat Cohen-Meir, shares her father’s extraordinary story on Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Pre-Holocaust Germany – The Beginning of an Impossible Reality
Stefan Cohen was born in 1929 in the town of Szczecin, Germany, now Poland. When he was just three years old, the Nazis came to power and Stefan's reality as a Jewish child in Germany became a constant threat. His parents, Bertha and Erich Cohen, tried to find a way to emigrate from Germany after Kristallnacht, but were only able to obtain exit visas for themselves, while Stefan remained behind. His father, a doctor and in danger of arrest, left first for England in the summer of 1939, hoping to help get the rest of the family out later. A month later, in September 1939, war broke out and the borders were closed.
Survival in Berlin – Essential Work and Dangerous Hiding
Stefan and his mother were left alone in Berlin from 1939. After the Jewish schools were closed in 1942, Stefan joined a group of Jewish boys and girls who worked voluntarily to preserve the Jewish cemetery. Initially, gardening, preserving and cleaning, and later, when the number of older Jews decreased, he also engaged in digging graves. Throughout the entire period, his mother was engaged in essential work, most of it in factories, some of it under duress. Friends, both Jewish and non-Jewish, helped them with housing and other areas, and when the danger increased when Jews were being rounded up for deportations, they also helped them find hiding places.
The journey into the unknown
In early 1943, Stefan and his mother were arrested for the first time, thanks to a declaration of essential occupation for a short time, but in June of that year they turned themselves in with no choice and were sent on the 39th transport to Auschwitz.
When they got off the train car, they found themselves in Poland, at the entrance to the Birkenau camp. Stefan, only 13 years old, but looking tanned, tall and strong for his age – was immediately separated from his mother and selected for the group of men designated for work. His mother Bertha – for the group of women designated for work. She would be sent to the Birkenau camp – he to the Auschwitz men’s camp.
The Masonry School in Auschwitz – A Redeemer's Profession
In Auschwitz, Stefan joins a unique project: the School for Builders. This is an initiative by a prisoner (later Righteous Among the Nations) to create a training program for young people as professional builders. The young people in the camp were 15-18 years old from all over Europe. Stefan, one of the youngest in the project, was saved from the immediate extermination of children his age thanks to his sturdy appearance. His occupation as a builder, along with his strength, resourcefulness, courage and unique personality – as well as the support of his camp friends – help him survive 18 months in the hell of Auschwitz, where only a few survived.
Death March – 60 kilometers in the snow
January 1945, the Nazis begin evacuating the camps in the face of the Allied advance. Stefan marches with the camp prisoners on the death march to the west. 60 km in two days, in the Polish snow and frost, in worn-out shoes and scanty clothing, with others supporting him on his shoulders for most of the way. Many did not survive the march, but he manages to reach the Gross Rosen camp and is then transferred to Buchenwald.
The prisoners' victory and a new life
On April 11, 1945, the prisoners at Buchenwald free themselves before the arrival of Allied forces. Stefan, 15, emaciated and weak, remains in the camp for rehabilitation. With his remaining strength, armed with a stack of blank postcards and colored pencils he received from another prisoner, he documents his experiences in the 80 months he spent in the camps in a series of over 22 detailed drawings.
First Documentation from Memory – Life in Auschwitz
During the weeks following liberation, Stefan draws precise, miniature drawings of life in the camps. The vast knowledge he has accumulated, his engineering sense, and his incredible memory for detail, make the documentation an extraordinary document that includes maps, technical details, and descriptions of daily life.
Moving to Switzerland
In June 1945, Stefan was sent, along with about 400 other surviving boys, to recuperate at the Zugsberg Home in Switzerland and began to rebuild his life. Inspired by the drawings he created, the instructors encouraged the other boys to draw what they had experienced.
Reunited with father in England
In November 1945, Stefan reunites with his father in an emotional meeting in London, after the two had not seen each other since Stefan was 9 years old. Stefan, who had missed his studies from the age of 10 during the war years, completed his studies in English in two years, including his high school diploma, and chose to continue his studies for a degree in civil engineering and take part in building the new world in the young Jewish state.
Aliyah to the Land of Israel – Engineer, Warrior and Pioneer
In June 1950, Stefan immigrated to Israel aboard the ship "Kedma". He joined the Jewish Agency as an engineer and enlisted in the IDF, becoming a combat officer in the Engineering Corps, serving in the Israeli wars and continuing to serve in the reserves until the age of 52.
Building a house in Haifa – roots in the land of Israel
Stefan purchased a plot of land on Shunamit Street in Haifa and built his own house. He created terraces, a blooming garden, and turned the plot of land into a little paradise. He married and started a family of three children (and later 9 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren), while continuing his vision of building a life in the country.
Writer and Creator: Thomas Geva and the Literary Witness
Under the pen name "Thomas Geva," Stefan published his memoirs and wrote other books about life during the Holocaust and the revival that followed. He published his first book at the age of 26, out of fear that he would not have time to tell his story. The book has been published in several editions over the years, the last in 2020, and has been translated into various languages. It was published in Hebrew in 2003 under the name "Youth on Cables," published by Yad Vashem.
Legacy for the next generation – educational and psychological impact
Ifat, Stefan's daughter, talks about the profound impact his story had on her life. She chose to become a social worker and engage in educational, social and therapeutic activities to continue her father's vision: to build a better world, empower people and encourage social engagement. She has accompanied her father for the past decade in his life's mission, which has also become her life's mission.
A message to the world: Learn from history to build a better future
Stefan passed away last summer, two months before his 95th birthday, but his message, through his paintings, writing, films and the many testimonies he left behind, will continue to resonate even after his passing. In the closing words of his book in the latest edition, he wrote: "This testimony seeks to tell future generations about the past, so that they will know exactly what happened and learn from the past the deep meaning of things. My hope is that from this awareness people will make wise decisions and through their choices create a better life and a better future for everyone everywhere. This was our dream. This can be our legacy..."
The boy who survived, the man who built, the man who told
The story of Stefan Cohen is a reminder of the triumph of the human spirit. Whether as a child who survived and painted Auschwitz, as an engineer who built houses in Israel, or as a Holocaust witness who contributed to the understanding of human history – he chose not only to survive, but to live and build. Stefan reflects in his life story all the stories of the Holocaust, the heroism and the rebirth of the Jewish people. His strength and choice in life, from childhood to adulthood, can be our inspiration and legacy.
