Remembering Jan Blumenstein z’l

Remembering Jan Blumenstein: From Survivor to Physician

By Fern Lebo

On his 16th birthday, Jan Blumenstein was forced onto a cattle car bound for Auschwitz. At 96, he finally broke his silence.

The day after October 7, I found Jan transfixed by the news, unable to turn away. When I asked what he was seeing, he said quietly: “I’m reliving my childhood.” In that moment, I knew his story could no longer remain untold.

As Jan’s friend and writing voice, I spent the next 18 months listening, coaxing, and weaving together his chilling, often fragmented memories into a coherent narrative. For decades, he hid his tattoo. For decades, he avoided speaking of the camps. But the rise of antisemitism convinced him that silence was no longer possible.

Jan’s testimony is both a reminder and a warning: the dangers of unchecked hatred are real, and memory is our strongest defence. He is The Boy in the Back—the teenager who survived Auschwitz and Mauthausen by mastering the art of disappearing.

Many at Holy Blossom knew Jan as more than a survivor. He was part of our community, a brilliant scientist, and later a beloved family physician who cared for generations with compassion and wisdom. His resilience carried him from the depths of the camps to a life of service, discovery, and healing.

The Holocaust is fading from living memory, yet its lessons are more urgent than ever. Jan’s voice insists that we remember.

I am honoured to share his story. The Boy in the Back will be released September 19 and is available now for pre-order: https://mybook.to/P4twX6