"Romek's Lost Youth - The Story of a Boy Survivor" is a first-hand account of Romek's horrific experiences in the Nazi German concentration camps of World War Two.  The story was narrated by Ken Roman, and written by John James.

 

Romek was only 13 years old when the Nazi Germans invaded Poland in September 1939.  His story is unique - it is unlike any memoirs that have been written by or about Holocaust survivors.  Sadly,  Ken passed away in 2016 (preceded many years earlier by his close friend and collaborator, John James).

 

Though Ken's voice is now silent, his book remains as a testimony to the past, and serves to remind people of the evil that mankind is capable of. 

 

More than 75 years have passed since the end of World War Two. We must not forget the Holocaust - it was the most heinous calamity ever to descend upon humanity.

 

More than ever before, there has been a rise, a sharp spike in anti-semitic rhetoric, and hate propaganda against Jewish people and the State of Israel.  It is quite disturbing to hear about terrorist countries vowing to destroy Israel and the Jews. Such hatred, such vitriol is reminiscent of the Nazi propaganda during World War Two.  

 

These are danger signs that warn us that no one is safe - not the Jews, not the Ukrainaians, not even you. Throughout history hatred and murder had targeted virtually all ethnic groups.  

 

We must not ignore history, as it is happening again now.  Hatred, racism, religious intolerance, subjugation, discrimination, are still part of our world. These are the seeds that lead to war,  and to genocide.

 

We must learn from the stories of those who survived to tell the world, so that the Holocaust never happens again.  But we must also Watch and Speak Out against those who want to spread hatred.