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On the Run in Nazi Berlin: A Memoir
BERLIN, 1942. The Gestapo arrest eighteen-year-old Bert Lewyn and his parents, sending the latter to their deaths and Bert to work in a factory making guns for the Nazi war effort. Miraculously tipped off the morning the Gestapo round up all the Jews who work in the factories, Bert goes underground. He finds shelter sometimes with compassionate civilians, sometimes with people who find his skills useful and sometimes in the cellars of bombed-out buildings. Without proper identity papers, he survives as a hunted Jew in the flames and terror of Nazi Berlin in part by successfully mimicking non-Jews, even masquerading as an SS officer. But the Gestapo are hot on his trail…
Before World War II, 160,000 Jews lived in Berlin. By 1945, only 3,000 remained alive. Bert was one of the few, and his thrilling memoir—from witnessing the famous 1933 book burning to the aftermath of the war in a displaced persons camp—offers an unparalleled depiction of the life of a runaway Jew caught in the heart of the Nazi empire.
Before World War II, 160,000 Jews lived in Berlin. By 1945, only 3,000 remained alive. Bert was one of the few, and his thrilling memoir—from witnessing the famous 1933 book burning to the aftermath of the war in a displaced persons camp—offers an unparalleled depiction of the life of a runaway Jew caught in the heart of the Nazi empire.
400 pages, Paperback
Published March 5, 2019
25 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 7, 2020
5 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
DON’T LET THE COVER DETOUR YOU!
Fans of Beneath a Scarlet Sky or WW2/ Holocaust Historical reads. Or those who need to learn About what times were like in Germany during the war.
Though a true story the book does not read like a journal. The timeline flows and captures you every page. I was fully interested throughout. I especially appreciated explanations of certain subjects readers may not be familiar with. Very matter of fact within context to avoid feeling like reading a history lesson.
All info is fact checked and fact checked again. Make sure to listen to all author notes that follow up on updates and outcomes of other characters.
Survivors are beyond brave and I especially appreciate when they share their stories which hopefully prevents history repeating itself.
The audio is fantastic.
DON’T LET THE COVER DETOUR YOU!
Fans of Beneath a Scarlet Sky or WW2/ Holocaust Historical reads. Or those who need to learn About what times were like in Germany during the war.
Though a true story the book does not read like a journal. The timeline flows and captures you every page. I was fully interested throughout. I especially appreciated explanations of certain subjects readers may not be familiar with. Very matter of fact within context to avoid feeling like reading a history lesson.
All info is fact checked and fact checked again. Make sure to listen to all author notes that follow up on updates and outcomes of other characters.
Survivors are beyond brave and I especially appreciate when they share their stories which hopefully prevents history repeating itself.
The audio is fantastic.
September 28, 2022
This memoir is absolutely riveting, and I am so glad that I read it. This is a very unusual Holocaust survival story, since Bert Lewyn didn't end up in a concentration camp or hide in one place for an extended, tedious period of time. Instead, he had to constantly change locations to escape detection, staying with people on a temporary basis, sleeping in the ruins of bombed-out buildings, and constantly staying alert to stay alive. It's a fascinating story told with vivid detail, and Lewyn does an excellent job briefly explaining contextual things to the reader without bogging down the story.
There is also a lengthy historical note at the end where he and his daughter-in-law share more insight into what happened after the war, how they researched the people who appeared in this memoir, and how they handled making revisions to the previous edition when they learned new things that clarified mistaken memories.
I highly recommend this book to people who enjoy World War II history, and to anyone who enjoys survival stories. Lewyn escaped death so many times, sometimes due to staggering, unbelievable coincidences, and this is a truly amazing story. I'm so glad that he recorded his extraordinary, harrowing memories for posterity.
There is also a lengthy historical note at the end where he and his daughter-in-law share more insight into what happened after the war, how they researched the people who appeared in this memoir, and how they handled making revisions to the previous edition when they learned new things that clarified mistaken memories.
I highly recommend this book to people who enjoy World War II history, and to anyone who enjoys survival stories. Lewyn escaped death so many times, sometimes due to staggering, unbelievable coincidences, and this is a truly amazing story. I'm so glad that he recorded his extraordinary, harrowing memories for posterity.
February 24, 2022
This is an excellent read. As the memoir progressed I was transfixed. The suspense, skill, charity, and outright luck involved for Mr. Lewyn during the years of the war are astounding. The tragedy of the war through his eyes makes the overwhelming atrocity of the holocaust both more accessible and heartbreaking. I was glad the epilogue gave me further information on what happened to characters in the memoir. This book should be on reading lists for the unique historical perspective and superb writing. Well worth the read.
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December 13, 2019In steady voice and precise detail, the survivor Bert Lewyn narrates the desperation of hiding and living as a Jew in Nazi Berlin, deprived by the Nazis of parents, friends, work, home, and identity papers. In this memoir, Mr. Lewyn demonstrates the resourcefulness and hyperawareness necessary to find new aide prospects, maneuver through a dangerous society where the Gestapo could find him at any moment, and retain enough humanity to help others.
March 18, 2019
Haunting
This book-and the story in it- is completely amazing. Riveting from beginning to end. Well worth the read! Read it as soon as you can!
This book-and the story in it- is completely amazing. Riveting from beginning to end. Well worth the read! Read it as soon as you can!
April 21, 2021
A gripping page-turner. Ever wonder what it was like to try and survive as a Jewish teenager on his own and on the run in Berlin Germany at the height of Naziism? This reads like a thriller but it's all true!
On March 27, 1942, the Gestapo arrested Leopold and Johanna Wolff Lewin for being Jewish and sent them to their deaths. They enslaved young "Dago" in a Berlin weapons factory. He was just 18-yrs-old.
In 1943, the Nazis deported all Jewish factory workers, but Dago was alerted by a sympathetic co-worker and managed to avoid capture. He would barely survive 2 and 1/2 years on the run in Nazi Berlin, sleeping in bombed-out buildings, staying a few nights with the rare person willing to help him. Dago never sees himself as a victim. This is a powerful story of tenacity and survival against all odds.
On March 27, 1942, the Gestapo arrested Leopold and Johanna Wolff Lewin for being Jewish and sent them to their deaths. They enslaved young "Dago" in a Berlin weapons factory. He was just 18-yrs-old.
In 1943, the Nazis deported all Jewish factory workers, but Dago was alerted by a sympathetic co-worker and managed to avoid capture. He would barely survive 2 and 1/2 years on the run in Nazi Berlin, sleeping in bombed-out buildings, staying a few nights with the rare person willing to help him. Dago never sees himself as a victim. This is a powerful story of tenacity and survival against all odds.
May 4, 2023
On the Run in Nazi Berlin by Bert Lewyn with Bev Saltzman Lewyn is about the author’s experiences fleeing the Nazis during World War II. During this time he was known as Dagobert Lewin. The memoir was a flowing and easy read–which in spite of the harrowing subject matter I couldn’t wait to read more–and didn’t seem to be an oral transcription, although it was based on taped interviews the author made with his cousin in 1980.
In 1942 at the age of nineteen Lewin and his parents were deported by the Gestapo. His parents were sent to the Trawniki concentration camp where they were later murdered while he himself, as a fit young man, was spared and sent to work in a weapons factory. Thus began his life on the run. The memoir takes us through Berlin and its outskirts as Lewin finds temporary safe havens at the homes of a Catholic couple, a couple of blind communists and then a couple of Jehovah’s Witnesses. In the midst of this relative security he also lived in the bombed ruins of buildings, for he always had to be moving. He risked capture by being seen in the same place for a long perod of time.
The struggle to survive put Lewin into the most precarious predicaments; the riskiest of all being his masquerade as an SS officer, complete with uniform and necessary paperwork. It helped to know people, especially sympathetic Nazis who could furnish him and a Jewish friend with everything they needed (but unfortunately couldn’t keep). Although I had heard about Jews who betrayed others by collaborating with the Nazis for preferential treatment, I learned more about these Greifer from this book. Lewin had to be careful who he confided in, as even fellow Jews on the run could be seen as a risk to his safety.
When single Jewish nurses were being deported, a single mother he met persuaded him to marry her. At least as a married couple with a child they would be spared–but the Nazi regime would soon come after them as they had with his own family. He tells of life on the run with his wife Ilse and stepson Klaus, who at five years of age was not the easiest person to keep quiet when it was a literal matter of life and death.
I was awestruck by the ways the Lewin family eked out their existence, living on diminishing food rations and under the constant stress of the SS approaching their door. They had many close calls, and the first part of the book, entitled Three Miracles, tells what they were.
Anyone who had survived the Holocaust could face a lifetime of psychological trauma. However on two occasions Lewyn wrote, first in Berlin shortly after the war:
“The events that most of us had lived through had hardened us, forming a tough outer shell that seemed to isolate us and deny us the ability to grieve in a normal fashion. For many, there were no tears left to shed. Some were too overwhelmed by the magnitude of their losses and by the horrors they had witnessed to be able to weep freely.”
And then later while living in a displaced persons camp, Lewyn made the following observation:
“The Jews of the camp mostly looked to the future, not the past. Few went around moaning about how they had lost their families. It is hard to say why. My opinion was that their minds were occupied with day-to-day living. No doubt many of them did not want to think about their losses, lest they become overwhelmed by their grief.”
Lewyn’s daughter-in-law Bev, who cowrote the book, briefly analyzes trauma and the Holocaust in the epilogue, saying that “I do think this emotional distance helped him cope and go on to create a very successful life.”.
On the Run is full of tragedy yet also discovery and rediscovery. Bev has continued to learn more about Bert and his life on the run through the research she has done since the first edition was published in 2001. I found her revelations in the epilogue to be fascinating reading.
November 11, 2021
The great thing about a Holocaust memoir, or any other memoir really, is that you know with certainty that no matter how horrific the events described are, no matter how one's stomach churns with anxiety and fear... the author will survive to write a memoir.
This tale of a young Jewish man's astounding survival on the streets and outlying areas of Berlin from 1942 to the end of the war, was simply gripping. And terrifying.
Forced once again to contemplate the horror of the Holocaust, this time I considered it not from the perspective of the trains, or the camps, or gas chambers but from the perspective of "civillization." That is, this is a story of Berlin. This was a place of Jewish assimilation, of technological sophistication, where the German love of order and process and rules reigned supreme. And this is a place that, if one is aware of history, has elements of Americanism about it. It's just not that different from America. America had its eugenic laws. America had its Jim Crow laws. And Germany of the late 1930s and early 1940s was like that too... just a little more so and, as a result, just Germanicly and insanely more so.
As an American reader there is a feeling of familiarity. We feel the modernity in Lewyn's world. We have the sense that the shiny boots of a Gestapo officer aren't of an entirely different order from the baton and shiny badge of an American policeman. They are different of course... but something of the familiar flows back and forth between these two places. The reader's mind circles in big thoughts about what happened there, what happened here, what could happen here or there. And if it all happened here, where would you run? Who could you trust? Or, if it the member of the hated minority group came to you, how long could you shelter that person in your basement or attic? And what if when you agreed to shelter them, they suddenly produced a spouse? And a child? And had no rationing card? And could you trust your neighbor not to inform?
Frankly I had no idea that it was possible for any Jew to survive on the streets of Berlin during the war, and surely very few did. Lewyn describes at least three moments where he didn't die by the most improbable of chances - miracles perhaps. I'd say every single day he didn't die was a miracle. But whether by miracle or by luck Bert Lewyn did survive somehow, and because you will be holding the memoir he wrote in old age in your hands, it is possible to experience his life with a kind of courage and confidence that perhaps few of us would be able to muster as we stared a Gestapo officer down on a Berlin street in 1943 and presented our false identification papers, in that moment when the slightest suspicion would be the end.
It's a memoir - it's all going to be alright in the end, by definition.
This tale of a young Jewish man's astounding survival on the streets and outlying areas of Berlin from 1942 to the end of the war, was simply gripping. And terrifying.
Forced once again to contemplate the horror of the Holocaust, this time I considered it not from the perspective of the trains, or the camps, or gas chambers but from the perspective of "civillization." That is, this is a story of Berlin. This was a place of Jewish assimilation, of technological sophistication, where the German love of order and process and rules reigned supreme. And this is a place that, if one is aware of history, has elements of Americanism about it. It's just not that different from America. America had its eugenic laws. America had its Jim Crow laws. And Germany of the late 1930s and early 1940s was like that too... just a little more so and, as a result, just Germanicly and insanely more so.
As an American reader there is a feeling of familiarity. We feel the modernity in Lewyn's world. We have the sense that the shiny boots of a Gestapo officer aren't of an entirely different order from the baton and shiny badge of an American policeman. They are different of course... but something of the familiar flows back and forth between these two places. The reader's mind circles in big thoughts about what happened there, what happened here, what could happen here or there. And if it all happened here, where would you run? Who could you trust? Or, if it the member of the hated minority group came to you, how long could you shelter that person in your basement or attic? And what if when you agreed to shelter them, they suddenly produced a spouse? And a child? And had no rationing card? And could you trust your neighbor not to inform?
Frankly I had no idea that it was possible for any Jew to survive on the streets of Berlin during the war, and surely very few did. Lewyn describes at least three moments where he didn't die by the most improbable of chances - miracles perhaps. I'd say every single day he didn't die was a miracle. But whether by miracle or by luck Bert Lewyn did survive somehow, and because you will be holding the memoir he wrote in old age in your hands, it is possible to experience his life with a kind of courage and confidence that perhaps few of us would be able to muster as we stared a Gestapo officer down on a Berlin street in 1943 and presented our false identification papers, in that moment when the slightest suspicion would be the end.
It's a memoir - it's all going to be alright in the end, by definition.
December 13, 2019
Amazing account of daily survival in madness
I was not aware that Jewish people were not allowed to sit down while in the public until I read this book. That is ridiculous. One more ludicrous law added to the many that illuminates the culture of hatred. Seeing the devastation that hatred caused has made me attempt to rid myself of this voluntary, pervasive disease. I appreciate all the survivors that share their stories. It has changed my life for the better and steered me in a more positive direction than I would have had I never been aware. Hatred can only succeed when people are deceived by its subtleties. All the survivor accounts shine a bright light on this ugliness that attempts to wield its influence on those in the dark.
I was not aware that Jewish people were not allowed to sit down while in the public until I read this book. That is ridiculous. One more ludicrous law added to the many that illuminates the culture of hatred. Seeing the devastation that hatred caused has made me attempt to rid myself of this voluntary, pervasive disease. I appreciate all the survivors that share their stories. It has changed my life for the better and steered me in a more positive direction than I would have had I never been aware. Hatred can only succeed when people are deceived by its subtleties. All the survivor accounts shine a bright light on this ugliness that attempts to wield its influence on those in the dark.
February 2, 2025
This is a very interesting story about a German Jewish family in WWII living in Berlin who became separated during a Nazi deportation action in 1942. Dagobert, now left on his own for the first time at 18 years of age, has to figure out how to live and survive on his own to survive the war.
Its fascinating how Dagobert muddles through his life, calling upon friends and contacts, taking chances and through luck, sometimes finding shelter, food and kindness from strangers.
I always appreciate the author telling us how things were for people after the war; the challenges and the length of time it took to find a place to become re-established in the new world.
Very well written - a page turner.
Its fascinating how Dagobert muddles through his life, calling upon friends and contacts, taking chances and through luck, sometimes finding shelter, food and kindness from strangers.
I always appreciate the author telling us how things were for people after the war; the challenges and the length of time it took to find a place to become re-established in the new world.
Very well written - a page turner.
July 18, 2020
This memoir reads like a movie script!! It is one of those stories where facts are more complexing than fiction ever could be. It is a unique story of one man’s battle to survive Nazi terror in WWII Germany. The kindness and generosity of some characters will rest your faith in humanity while the atrocities of the Nazi regime are incomprehensible.
This memoir is a must read for any student of history.
This memoir is a must read for any student of history.
December 9, 2022
Wowza!! First off I want to start by saying I didn't research the book, the Title caught my eye and I decided to give it a go! I thought the book was Amazing, it pulled at my heart strings, I cheered Bert on throughout the book!! When I got to the Epilog and learned this was a MEMOIR!! I cried!! Like fell out crying!! What a courageous young man, and his pal Fred too!! If I can recommend a book, this would be it!
Rip Bert Lewyn, I'm glad you had a full life.
Rip Bert Lewyn, I'm glad you had a full life.
October 8, 2023
Absolutely incredible story of how Bert Lewin survived in Nazi Berlin. Bev came to my class at my college recently to tell Bert's story as the class is about the Holocaust. Bert gives a first hand account of what it was like to be a jew in Berlin, and how incredible the people who did not support Hitler were, and how they helped Bert survive. It is written easy to understand, and follows the events very chronologically, and I like how it describes what happens to others post war.
April 18, 2020
I have read so many books on Nazi Germany detailing the plight and persecution of Jews during that 12 year period that you would think I had enough. But, no! You might not think I couldn't possibly learn anything new, but, no! This book introduced me to a labor camp called Trawniki and now I want to read more on that one! Good book! Recommend it.
February 11, 2025
Another aspect of the Holocaust that had never made it into my reading! Jewish people who survived in Berlin "unlawfully" called themselves U-boats because they went under and only surfaced occasionally. Amazing story.
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November 11, 2019Surviving as a Jew in Nazi Berlin
This is really well written book. So gripping I could not put it down untill I finished reading it to the end
This is really well written book. So gripping I could not put it down untill I finished reading it to the end
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January 28, 2020Excellent!
August 6, 2020
I have read a lot of holocaust memoirs. This was well-written and different than many others. Worth the read.
February 16, 2021
Very well written, with attention to detail and accuracy. Engaging, excruciating, and enlightening.
December 12, 2021
One of the best books I have ever read.
February 18, 2022
Thank you for sharing this story. We need to keep generating witnesses of the Holocaust
April 20, 2025
Very well written, not too wordy, engaging, easy to read and hard to put down!
October 31, 2019
Amazing. I am drawn to first person accounts of people who survived the Holocaust. This one was one of the best. It read like a thriller. I loved the term “u-boat” as a metaphor for surfacing and then going underground again in an amazing tale of surviving against all odds.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews