Oldest Auschwitz Survivor Dies

Antoni Dobrowolski, the oldest known survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp died today in Debno, Poland. Born on October 8, 1904 Dobrowolski was 108 years old when he died. In a world where today the word "hero" is almost casually applied Dobrowolski truly was one.

A teacher, Dobrowolski practiced his profession during the World War II German occupation of Poland. What made him so memorable was that he continued to teach in spite of the fact that the Germans had banned education of most Poles past four years of elementary school. As part of this ban the Germans made it clear that anyone found teaching would be sent to prison or to a concentration camp. In spite of this ban, instituted by the Germans in an effort to wipe out Polish culture and turn those Poles not murdered outright into slaves, Dobrowolski secretly attempted to educate Polish children.

In 1942 the Gestapo arrested Dobrowolski and sent him to Auschwitz in June of that year (with some of the camp barracks and a portion of the double security fence pictured here as they were in January 1945). Dobrowolski was also imprisoned in other German concentration camps, but he managed to survive the war. After the war he continued his career in education, eventually becoming a principal.