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Biographical summary about Alexander Kuechel, 2014

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jhp000518-003
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Alexander Kuechel Virtual Book Alexander Kuechel was born in 1924 in Berlin, Germany. He witnessed Hitler?s rise to power including the boycott of Jewish businesses, the Berlin Olympics (which Jews could not attend), and Kristallnacht (the Night of the Broken Glass). His father was arrested in 1938 because he was born in Poland. He was kicked out of Germany into Poland while his family remained in Berlin. Alex was a member of a Zionist youth group and had a certificate to go to Palestine before the war began. He was asked to give up his certificate to someone who had been arrested during Kristallnacht and sent to a concentration camp. In order to be released from the camps the prisoner had to be able to leave Germany so Alex gave up his certificate for a promise for either another certificate in the future or a spot on a children?s transport, Kindertransport, to England. In 1939 he and his mother were kicked out of Germany into Poland where they were reunited with Alex?s father. After he left Germany the papers for the Kindertransport came through but then the war started and Alex was stuck in Poland. He was sent to a forced labor camp in 1941 and then sent to the concentration camp Blechammer in 1942. He ultimately was in 7 camps and was liberated in May 1945 by Soviet troops. These Russians ignored the prisoners as they were on their way to Berlin.