A Meeting of Like Minds

"I heard the surname, and I was like, 'Is this my family'?"

"I was shocked, and I was ashamed. Who wants to have a man like that as your grandfather? It was just tragic."
"[After reading the book [Commandant of Auschwitz], I felt so indebted by what my grandfather had done, I had this desire to do something."

"It's a meticulous record. He caused so much pain. It just broke my heart."

"People need to understand how inhumane, how horrible, how cold-hearted this was."

"The truth is painful, but silence is more dangerous." 

"What we're trying to do is move Holocaust remembrance from the head to the heart."

Kai Hoss, grandson of Rudolf Hoss, commandant of Auschwitz

Rudolf Höss with his wife and children in an undated photo. (Courtesy of Kai Höss)

"I realize how important it was for my grandparents to share not only the story, but also why it's important."

"[My grandfather used to tell me:] The Holocaust was the worst in people. But it was also the best in people."

"We need to be not only educating people but galvanizing them through these lessons. That's how we  honour the victims and the survivors; that's how we keep them alive."

Mike Igel, grandson of three Holocaust survivors

Mike Igel, interim chief executive officer and board chair emeritus of the Florida Holocaust Museum spoke of plans to meet with Rudolf Hoss's grandson: "He and I are running in the same lane. We're using these lessons and experiences as the fuel to combat antisemitism -- the very thing that led to all of this." Mr. Igel's family was on the receiving end of Mr. Hoss's family's involvement in murdering Europe's Jews.

 

"We are still combating on a daily basis", said 44-year-old Mike Igel whose father's parents were able to survive the Holocaust when non-Jewish Polish farmers, Michel and Katarzyna Gerula, hid four Igel family members, along with three members of another family, in their barn. The Gerulas had three young children of their own at the time. 

Eventually betrayed by a neighbour, the two Gerulas were executed by the Nazis when they were taken into custody, tortured for weeks, all the while refusing to reveal where the Jews under their care were hiding. They are recognized as "Righteous Among the Nation", at Yad Vashem, where their courage and memory is kept alive.

 

As for Kai Hoss, he is a non-denominational pastor in Stuttgart, Germany where he leads services for local English speakers and American service members stationed in the vicinity. He tells his story of stumbling upon the name of his grandfather in his history book when he was in fifth grade. His mother confirmed to him when he was 16 that the infamous Rudolf Hoss who was responsible for the operations in Auschwitz was his grandfather.

 

Kai Höss with his wife, Rahma, and their four children. (Courtesy of Kai Höss)

 

Decades on, he began to deliberately meet with Jews to speak of his family history. "It became clearer and clearer who they are and what my grandfather had done. I had several wonderful experiences where I met these people, and they're very gracious. There is a spirit of forgiveness and kindness", he said. He began speaking against antisemitism at schools, synagogues, churches and other venues.

 

More recently a meeting has been planned between himself and the grandson of Holocaust survivors, Mike Igel; a planned conversation relating to their family and historical legacies linked to their shared advocacy. The meeting, the Florida Holocaust Museum which described the talk as exploring "history's impact and the power of our choices" where they will speak together at Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, Florida.

 

According to the Anti-Defamation League, a sharp rise has been reported in antisemitic incidents since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, responsible for the ongoing war in Gaza to this date. An over 200 percent increase soared in antisemitic incidents in the United States the first year following October 7. A global survey by the ADL found that close to half of all people worldwide have antisemitic beliefs. 

Mike Igel at the Florida Holocaust Museum in front of a railroad boxcar — the same type used by Nazis to transport Jews to death camps. (The Florida Holocaust Museum)