Max Eisen is a Hungarian Jew who was deported to Auschwitz in the spring of 1944 at the age of 15. As an author, public speaker and Holocaust educator, Eisen travels throughout Canada giving talks, particularly to students, about his experiences as a concentration camp survivor. He volunteers at the Sarah and Chaim Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre, and the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center in Toronto. Max’s memoir By Chance Alone was a finalist for the 2017 RBC Taylor Prize and for the 2017 Non-Fiction Vine Award for Canadian Jewish Literature. In 2019, By Chance Alone was one of the five books selected for CBC’s annual Canada Reads competition. Max's book went on to win the 2019 Canada Reads competition! True story of Courage and Survival at Auschwitz
Max Eisen is a Hungarian Jew who was deported to Auschwitz in the spring of 1944 at the age of 15. As an author, public speaker and Holocaust educator, Eisen travels throughout Canada giving talks, particularly to students, about his experiences as a concentration camp survivor. He volunteers at the Sarah and Chaim Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre, and the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center in Toronto.
Max’s memoir By Chance Alone was a finalist for the 2017 RBC Taylor Prize and for the 2017 Non-Fiction Vine Award for Canadian Jewish Literature.
In 2019, By Chance Alone was one of the five books selected for CBC’s annual Canada Reads competition. Max's book went on to win the 2019 Canada Reads competition!
True story of Courage and Survival at Auschwitz
Some of what we will learn from Max Eisen: I was in Auschwitz with my father and uncle. There was a selection process in the middle of the night. It was July 9, 1944 and my father and uncle were selected out. I only had a short time to say goodbye to them. Through the wire — they were in a quarantine area — my father gave me his blessing. He told me that if I managed to survive, I'd have to tell the world what happened there. I lived through a traumatic and cruel period of history. There are important lessons to be learned and personal accounts to be recorded. I am inspired by the need to tell my story so others may learn from the past. On a personal level, I have a highly developed sense of observation of the world around me, which constantly inspires and motivates me to take action. I hope that a new generation who hears my story will combat racism and bigotry wherever they see it, and that they will speak out and make a positive difference in Canadian society. This event is part of the Fall 2019 Speaker series. Register for the Fall 2019 Event Series.
Some of what we will learn from Max Eisen:
I was in Auschwitz with my father and uncle. There was a selection process in the middle of the night. It was July 9, 1944 and my father and uncle were selected out. I only had a short time to say goodbye to them. Through the wire — they were in a quarantine area — my father gave me his blessing. He told me that if I managed to survive, I'd have to tell the world what happened there.
I lived through a traumatic and cruel period of history. There are important lessons to be learned and personal accounts to be recorded. I am inspired by the need to tell my story so others may learn from the past. On a personal level, I have a highly developed sense of observation of the world around me, which constantly inspires and motivates me to take action. I hope that a new generation who hears my story will combat racism and bigotry wherever they see it, and that they will speak out and make a positive difference in Canadian society.
This event is part of the Fall 2019 Speaker series. Register for the Fall 2019 Event Series.
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