London Holocaust survivor honoured at public event marking 80th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation

Late London Holocaust survivor Louie Kamien will be honoured Monday night on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

The banner will be unveiled for Kamien as part of the Voices of Survivors project displayed inside the Jewish Community Centre, and features the photos and stories of local Holocaust survivors who made a life in London.

"Louie was a real character—a really nice guy. He would give you the shirt off his back," said his daughter Leich, who herself is a survivor. She was born in Kazakhstan during the war after her parents fled Poland in 1938.

"[Louie] was in the shoe business in London, so if someone didn't have a pair of shoes, he'd give them a pair. That's the kind of person he was. He loved cars, loved his family, and he loved boxing."

Louie was a manager at Seigel's Shoe Stores before opening Louie's Shoes at 117 Dundas Street in 1970. 

Kamien's family urged him to leave Poland with his young wife and children when signs of trouble for Jews were beginning to show.

The family made the difficult and dangerous exile to Kazakhstan where they spent time in a labour camp during the war. While they hoped to return to Poland, their family who had stayed behind had all been killed.

Kamien immigrated to Canada in 1948 with his wife and two young daughters, after spending time in a displaced persons camp in Germany. A relative in London sponsored then and they became part of a close-knit Jewish community  that included other Holocaust survivors.

"He had good friends," said Leich. "There was a group of families who came over around the same time, and they formed their own circle, helping each other when needed."

"Louie is just one of many—about 125 survivors—who came to London," said Eric Robinson, the program director at Jewish London. "They all have unique stories, and this event gives us an opportunity to remember Louie Kamien and others like him."

Jewish London is organizing a free public event Monday night at the Hyland Cinema, where Kamien's banner will be unveiled. The documentary The Commandant's Shadow will also be screened. 

The film follows the son of the commandant of Auschwitz as he confronts the horrors of what his father did. It delves into the contrast between the life he lived on the other side of the fence from the camp and the horrors that played out just metres away.

"It's a chance to reflect on the past and remember what happened. It's also an opportunity to think about the intergenerational impact of the Holocaust—the trauma that's been passed on," said Robinson.

"That's what the movie is about. As we remember Holocaust survivors and their descendants, we can better understand the profound impact it's had on the Jewish community and the world as a whole."

• What: International Holocaust Remembrance Day at the Hyland Cinema
• Where: 240 Wharncliffe Road South, London
• When: Monday, Jan. 27, 7:00 p.m.
• Cost: Free
• RSVP: Email brandi@jewishlondon.ca