Death Camp Survivor Philip Bialowitz Shares Survival Story

Philip Bialowitz is one out of eight living survivors from Sobibór, a death camp that was located on the outskirts of Nazi German-occupied Poland. Bialowitz retold his tale of survival and the will of the Jewish people to keep on fighting when they felt the world abandoned them in their time of need.

At the Chabad at Chestnut Hill on Monday night, Bialowitz, the youngest of the remaining survivors, riveted the audience with humor, a smile, and the mission to tell the story of his people. 

A member from the crowd asked Bialowitz, "Survivors of the Holocaust try to keep their stories a secret, maybe because of shame, guilt or out of fear, but what do you see it as? How come you are able to tell your story?"

"Sasha Percherksy, one of the leaders of the revolt said to us before the uprise that if you survive, tell the world what happened here," said Bialowitz with a firm pride. "And I promise to him and myself to fulfill that promise."

The night began with a documentary that showcased the life of Bialowitz and his visit to the death camp. Bialowitz, a Polish Jew made it clear to the people present that Sobibor was was not a concentration camp, but a death camp.

In the documentary, Bialowitz met with the son of the Sobibór death camp's operator. With the help of a translator, Bialowitz did not blame the son for the murderers that came from the command of his father. However, they walked and visited the grounds where the Jewish people's ashes were scattered together in peace.

His message really hit home of not only the Jewish people in the audience, but to everyone of all nationalities, races, ethnicities, and ages. 

"The death camps robbed me of my childhood," says Bialowitz, who was a teenager at the time he was brought to the deathcamp.

"We knew we were going to die. You could see smoke from 1oo meters away." 

The inspiring thing about his survival tale was that he did not give himself credit for everything that was done, but instead he said he owed his life to all those who risked their lives for him.

Upon arrival at the death camp, his older brother who is an 99-year-old survivor, who lives in Israel, grabbed his brother and told German officials that he was a pharmacist and Philip was his assistant.

After that, they were escorted off the bus. This would be the last time Philip would see his family members before they were murdered in the gas chambers.

Aside from being beaten, whipped, and seeing his family and friends killed, Philip became one of 600 working servants at the death camp.  For six months Philip watched many Jewish people come to the grounds unaware that it was  a death camp. 

He was sure that the Jews who were brought did not know they were going to die until they reached the "showers" or gas chambers marked poison gas.

Out of the 600 slave laborers, 200 people were freed at Sobibór in one of the most successful uprisings during World World II.

The uprising consisted of eliminating key SS officers with the help of the conspirators as they tricked officials into leaving their safe places and entering the hands of the slave laborers. When officials were killed, the message of the uprising had reached the camp grounds. The laborers cut phone lines as well as the electricity on the grounds  so the call for reinforcements would not go through.

However, what made it difficult to escape Sobibór was it was the only death camp surrounded by woods and minefields. 

After his escape from the death camp, the fight for survival did not stop there. Bialowitz spent almost a year in hiding before he came to the United States. He first arrived in Boston, then Ohio before finding a permanent home in New York.

"I think Bialowitz was incredible," says Steven Smith. "He was poised and youthful. He really wanted to tell his story."

And tell his story he did. Bialowitz loves telling his story all across the United States and Europe. He wants to "build a better world."

An audience member who asked to remain anonymous said, "He was very moving. Never heard someone say they took part in a revolt before."

Although Bialowitz stressed that it wasn't he who took part in the revolt, but all those who gave their lives so he was able to revolt.

If you ask Bialowitz what has he done with his life, he'll probably give you this story: Two guys are talking. One guy asks the other guy, "What have you done with your life?" The guy responds "I have a lovely wife, two beautiful kids, and an excellent job." The first guy asks the same question again only to receive the same answer, but louder. The first guy says, I heard you the first time, but you never answered my initial question. I asked you what have you done for your life, not what God has given you.

While God may have given life and the power to survive to Philip Bialowitz, Philip says, "He will tell the world the fighting will of the Jewish people."

It is that fighting will and the courage of others that brought Bialowitz out to tell everyone his story.

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