The Dentist of Auschwitz: A Memoir

by Benjamin Jacobs

In 1941 Berek Jakubowicz (now Benjamin Jacobs) was deported from his Polish village and remained a prisoner of the Reich until the final days of the war. His possession of a few dental tools and rudimentary skills saved his life. Jacobs helped assemble V1 and V2 rockets in Buchenwald and Dora-Mittelbau; spent a year and a half in Auschwitz, where he was forced to remove gold teeth from corpses; and survived the RAF attack on three ocean liners turned prison camps in the Bay of Lubeck. This is his story.

Genres: Holocaust, History, Nonfiction, World War II, Memoir, Biography, War

248 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1994

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the amazing opportunity to meet Benjamin Jacobs, and he even signed my book. AMAZING man in horrible circumstances.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Benjamin gives an extremely vivid recollection of his life before, during, and after the Holocaust and his experiences in different concentration camps. His dental schooling was very minimal, yet it helped saved his life during the brutal Nazi regime, even giving him some clout with the most brutal of Nazi soldiers...I highly recommend this memoir. You can also read this story in its entirety online for free, and no it is not illegal. The author purposely made it available to allow for his story to be read by as many people as possible.

[Nancy Short-Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came upon this book on a holocaust research website. I've since read it 3 times and each time i find myself crying about the things he endured. One of the best books I've read on the subject.

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be Jewish; to be in a concentration camp; to be faced with the decision to do what is commanded of you to survive-this is what faces our narrator. Nothing could be worse than the horrific trauma of pulling the gold teeth of the gassed fellow prisoners. His triumphant life after the camp is a smack in the face of the Nazi regime.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't the easiest book to read. At times, you will cringe at the heinous and inhumane torture so many Jews faced during the holocaust. You will sigh at the beautiful love that developed between the author and a woman whom he met while fetching water outside of the camp. You will cry tears of sadness, many times over, when you remember this all truly happened. And you will again cry, though this time tears of joy, when it is certain the war has ended and the author has survived. An exceptional story of hope, perseverance and life capturing a moment in history when there was little reason to believe in any of those things.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing memoir of a man surviving concentration camps by being deemed the dentist of Auschwitz III. The shipwreck of the luxury liner towards the end is probably the most gut-wrenching part as they are on the threshold of freedom, but thousands drown, after surviving years in a concentration camp. Much of this book is a part of the Holocaust, that not many people know about.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another well written and descriptive book about the holocaust. I really enjoyed the writing in this book, but of course the subject matter is disturbing. I think it should be read by all high school students, maybe we can keep history from repeating itself.

[Daphne · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most amazing story of Auschwitz, if you enjoy WWII read this book.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surviving the Holocaust took great strength and good luck. a survivor also had to make his own luck which this survivor did. This is a very well written memoir

[Abby Wu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had quite an effect on me when I first read this as a teenager. Reading it now reminded me of how intense and terrible Jacobs' story was as well as the countless atrocities of many others. Holocaust is unimaginable but the stories must be told. We must remember.

Jacobs' writing can be simplistic and stiff at times, but I imagine that is due to the unimaginable subject matter as well as things getting lost in translation. The fact that Jacobs could even share his story in such detail for generations to come is incredibly profound.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow! what a memoir! his details and memory is astounding. I have read quite a few holocaust survivor's memoirs, and this one was quite different, most ended with liberation, not really telling us what happened to them afterwards, just a page or two that stated what families survived, if they got married where they lived. But this one went on to explain life for jews after liberation and what happened to the guards and kappos. Gave me a lot of food for thought.

[April eclecticbookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Memoir of a man who survived the Holocaust and credits part of that survival from practicing dentistry on the other camp inmates and sometimes the guards. His story goes beyond the camps to the ships containing prisoners that were bombed at the end of the war resulting in mass casualties.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another unbelievable account of someone's time/survival during the Holocaust.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent holocaust story. A quick read with some real life information. Definitely a page-turner.

[Mwansa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a painful book to read. It raised emotions within me that I did not even know I felt that strongly. How could one group of people so mistreat another. See them in such deteriorated condition and yet keep that treatment going on. What the Jews went through during the years of WWII is almost beyond belief.

For a man to lose his home, his family, his health, his livelihood and all that comes with it to such an extent must have been really painful. This book is not for the fain of heart but it is a book that I think should be read by many.

We should be people that, in the words of Micah 6:8 '.. seek justice, love mercy, walk humbly with God..' I could not help but think of that the entire time I was reading this book

[Rickhow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the best books I have read about the terrible Holocaust. The "story" kept your interest the entire way, was and excellent read, and only a couple of things kept me from giving it a 5 star. First negative was that the last few pages seemed to wrap up the story in too quick a fashion. It was almost like, well I have written all the pages my editor will allow so let me wrap up the story for you, bring you up to date with very few details on myself, my family, my career. Second, a couple of incidents in the book were just too hard to believe. I am totally sure that the author who went through this horrid experience told about these two incidents exactly as he remembered them and did not in his mind make the up. But...without giving away too much of the story...I found it hard to believe what happened with the author's father when they arrived at their final concentration camp...just hard to believe no one noticed. The second incident was in regards to his brother. I mean what are the odds. However....this is a must read.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I heard a Polish joke the other day. It made me sad and I found it disturbing. The Polish Jews were targeted more than any other community of Jews. Reading of the integrity, strength and determination of this Polish Jew during the horrific Nazi ordeal, it seems quite offensive to mock Poles, even if just in jest or for a good "laugh".

[Loretta Rinzel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book. The memoir of Benjamin is told in a story from start to finish. It tells how his family is torn a part and how he and his father endure the heartships of concentration camps. I was appalled at the dentistry stories. I recommend it:)

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellant memior,almost unbelievable that this poor man and his family endured such harrassment, humiliation, and degradation. How one human could do such acts of hate is inconceivable to me. God bless them all and the survivors.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible recollection of his story as a concentration camp survivor. It makes me wonder how things would’ve turned out if he made different decisions (i.e. if he took up Zosia���s offer) or if he didn’t seize the opportunity of being a dentist at each camp he lived at.

[Rustyryurt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book but does use a lot of German dialog that is not translated but then later in the book it is. Very inspirational story and a must read if you like to read about the war.

[Ryenn Beavers · Rating 1 out of 5]

horrible

[Maryann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detail memoir of the horrors of the Nazi work and concentration camps and the resilience of those who survived.

[Karen Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was well written and engrossing. I could hardly put it down. One of the better Holocaust memoirs out there.

[Casey Ulric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking, unfathomable,fascinating

[Marcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good, had me crying, READ

[Santhosh Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional story of survival.could not imagine how even a common Germans had basic kindness
Could have anglicized some of German titles for easy reading.

[Sonietta Carnelos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una nuova storia che merita di essere conosciuta.
Peccato solo la grande quantità di errori di ortografia della traduzione

[Chana Ceasar]

Prompt #31 in challenge

[Isha K]

good one
https://ishakadavath.com/