PHOENIX — At 96 years old, Oskar Knoblauch can still captivate a room with his story of survival.
“The holocaust can start with words,” he said describing the anti-Jewish propaganda that circulated ahead of the genocide he witnessed.
When the Nazi regime started to rip Jewish families apart in 1939 Germany, Oskar’s father had a unique trade Nazi police found useful – refurbishing the popular fur coats many Nazi officers would wear.
When an officer didn’t trust his Jewish father with the care of a coat saying, “you just want to steal that collar from me!” Oskar’s father told the officer, let me fix your coat or you can shoot me.
When the coat showed up refurbished the next day – his father was given a job instead of being shipped to a concentration camp where millions of Jewish families were killed.
“If you don’t have a trade, you’re toast,” said Oskar.
As a teenager, Oskar found his life on the line when two Nazi officers argued over if he should have a job at the SS headquarters in the refinery - or be killed.
Oskar understood the German language enough to help translate for others – ultimately saving his life by being employed by the very antisemites that wanted to kill people like him.
The 96-year-old attributes his communication skills and his respect for others, regardless of how they feel about him, to why he’s still here today.
“(Respect) is so important, which honestly, it’s missing in our society today respect is like something we don’t need today,” he said sharing his key message with younger generations.
Stories like Oskars are on display daily at the Jewish Heritage center in Phoenix. He and his family moved to Arizona when his daughter got accepted to Arizona State University.
A museum that looks to separate holocaust stories and Jewish culture in Arizona between two buildings.
The daily exhibit looks to expand by starting construction in the first quarter of 2024, of an 18,000 square feet building. The price tag is $18 million. So far, Arizona Jewish Historical Society has raised $10 million.
”There’s a glaring lack of awareness,” said Lawrence Bell, Executive director for Arizona Jewish Historical Society about the teachings of the Holocaust.
The Jewish Heritage Center is home to Phoenix’s first synagogue, built in the early 1920s. Planned renovations won’t impact the synagogue.
Bell hopes state educators use their facilities to teach the holocaust now that it’s a state mandate for 7th – 12th graders.
“If you forget these things are happening, they’ll keep happening again,” said Bell.
