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The Buchenwald Boys
This website looks at the experiences of one group of Holocaust survivors, the Buchenwald Boys, documenting their stories of survival, immigration and rebuilding of lives in Melbourne, Australia. It examines the valuable contribution that they have made to Holocaust remembrance, an important aspect of Jewish identity in the Australian Jewish community.
Their story is a tribute to the resilience and foresight of a remarkable group of men, the Buchenwald Boys, and those who supported them in their journey
For the background behind this project, go to About this site.
Introduction
The Melbourne Buchenwald Boys share a unique bond that has lasted for 75 years.
Childhoods
Due to the Holocaust, they tragically lost their entire families, childhoods and all that was familiar and secure.
Holocaust
As young Boys, they survived ghettos, labour camps, concentration camps, such as Auschwitz, and the tortuous death marches, before arriving in Buchenwald.
Buchenwald
Buchenwald Boy Max Z wrote, “If I ever imagined hell, this was it.”
Liberation
Some 900 Jewish youth miraculously survived Buchenwald. For some, liberation brought the hope of freedom and a new beginning. However, for all, liberation was when they learned of the enormity of their painful losses.
Refuge
The Boys found temporary refuge, learnt trades and made lifelong friends in orphanages in France and sanitoria in Switzerland.
Boats
Their friendships were consolidated on the boat journeys to Australia.
Melbourne becomes home
The Boys, assisted by the Australian Jewish Welfare Society and welcomed by Mina Fink, supported one another in making Melbourne home.
The Buchenwald Ball
To commemorate and celebrate their liberation, since the 1950s, the Boys have sung and danced together in what has become known as the "Buchenwald Ball". In recent years, their families have joined them.