To Auschwitz & Back

Born in Zakroczym, Poland in 1927, Holocaust Survivor Joe Engel was taken by the Nazis at 14 and never saw his parents again. Now 90 years old, Joe is the embodiment of living history and spends his retirement years ensuring the Holocaust is never forgotten. With the assistance of "The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's film and photographic archives", filmmaker Ron Small has successfully weaved Joe Engel's incredible storytelling into a riveting visual presentation that is both historic and contemporary. From the overwhelming despair of the Warsaw Ghetto, to the shroud of unceasing death and suffering that was Birkenau and Auschwitz, to his escape from a Death Train at 17 and his covert work as a freedom fighter, Joe personally takes us on his vivid journey to hell and back. This is a story of faith, renewal and redemption. Joe Engel, with an unwavering will to live, overcame unimaginable horrors to become a treasured citizen, community leader, teacher and philanthropist.