Nate Leipciger

Forced to leave their home in Chorzów when the Germans invaded Poland, Leipciger and his family were moved to the Sosnowiec Ghetto. in Sosnowiec, Leipciger became an apprentice electrician in a shoe factory, a skill that later proved vital for survival. At age 15, he, his sister and mother were transferred to Auschwitz-Birkenau. His mother and sister were murdered in Auschwitz, but his father kept close to his son. Leipciger ended up as forced labour in various other camps in Silesia. His father intervened twice, saving Nate from immediate death—first during selection (the queue for the gas chamber) and again by convincing an SS officer of Nate’s trade skills, convincing the officers that his son was a useful electrician. Leipciger was allowed to accompany his father. According to Leipciger, his father begged a Nazi officer to get Leipciger to a factory in Germany to save him from being murdered at Auschwitz. This intervention led them to endure a staggering six more camps after Auschwitz, including Gross-Rosen, Flossenbürg, and Mühldorf, ultimately surviving against overwhelming odds. By liberation in April 1945, only he and his father remained alive. {{cite web|title='My father saved my life,' Holocaust survivor remembers imprisonment in Auschwitz|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/holocaust-survivor-saskatoon-auschwitz-1.3540381|website=CBC News|accessdate=April 18, 2016}}{{cite web |date=1943-03-10 |title=Sosnowiec Ghetto |url=https://www.geni.com/projects/Sosnowiec-Ghetto/26854 |accessdate=2017-03-10 |website=Geni.com}}{{cite web |date=1940-06-14 |title=History / Auschwitz-Birkenau |url=http://auschwitz.org/en/history/ |accessdate=2017-03-10 |website=Auschwitz.org}}{{Cite web |last=Holocaust |first=Museum of Jewish Heritage-A. Living Memorial to the |date=2022-01-12 |title=Stories Survive: Nate Leipciger |url=https://mjhnyc.org/blog/stories-survive-nate-leipciger/ |access-date=2025-06-20 |website=Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust |language=en-US}}

They were incarcerated in the concentration camps of Fünfteichen, Gross-Rosen and Flossenbürg before ending up at Waldlager V, part of the Mühldorf camp complex and a subcamp of the Dachau concentration camp{{cite web|url=https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/index-e.html |title=Visitor Information – Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site |website=Kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de |date= |accessdate=2017-03-10}} where they were eventually liberated by American soldiers.

In June 1948, after living in Bamberg, Germany, for three years, Leipciger and his father immigrated to Canada. He earned an engineering degree following an accelerated path through high school; subsequently built a successful career as an engineer, raised a family with three daughters, and eventually became a citizen. His father, Jacob, remained a central figure in his life, credited by Leipciger as indispensable to his survival {{Cite web |last=Holocaust |first=Museum of Jewish Heritage-A. Living Memorial to the |date=2022-01-12 |title=Stories Survive: Nate Leipciger |url=https://mjhnyc.org/blog/stories-survive-nate-leipciger/ |access-date=2025-06-20 |website=Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust |language=en-US}}

In 2015, The Weight of Freedom was published, a 280-page book written by Nate Leipciger, one of over 60 books in the Azrieli Series of Holocaust Memoirs by Canadian survivors. The memoir balances raw depictions of trauma with reflections on survival, resilience, and the “weight” carried into freedom. It addresses the challenges of post-war identity, the difficulty of reconciling traumatic memories, and the responsibility understood by survivors to educate future generations. With an introduction by Deborah Dwork, the narrative is praised for being introspective, unflinching, yet infused with hope and moral insight. Bill Gladstone, a respected Holocaust scholar, described it as “gripping, moving and insightful, {{Cite book |last=Leipciger |first=Nathan |url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27477788? |title=The weight of freedom |date=2015 |publisher=Azrieli Foundation |others=The Azrieli Foundation |isbn=978-1-897470-55-8 |edition=1st edition |series=The Azrieli series of Holocaust survivor memoirs 7 |location=Toronto}}{{Cite web |last=Leipciger |first=Nate |title=The Weight of Freedom |url=https://memoirs.azrielifoundation.org/titles/the-weight-of-freedom/ |access-date=2025-06-20 |website=The Holocaust Survivor Memoirs Program |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2016-04-02 |title=Nate Leipciger’s ‘The Weight of Freedom’ – Bill Gladstone Genealogy |url=http://www.billgladstone.ca/nate-leipcigers-the-weight-of-freedom/ |access-date=2025-06-20 |language=en-US}}

On July 10, 2016, after attending a NATO summit in Warsaw, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau requested a visit to Auschwitz–Birkenau. He chose to be accompanied by Holocaust survivor Nate (Nate) Leipciger, then 88, who shared his firsthand insights from the camp where he was imprisoned at age 15. The pair walked through both Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II–Birkenau, including the railway ramp, gas chamber ruins, crematoria, and displays of victims’ belongings, guided by the Auschwitz Museum director.{{cite web |title=Jewish Remembrance |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XJMXsiEiWE |accessdate=22 April 2017 |website=YouTube}}{{Cite web |date=2016-07-11 |title=Canadian PM Trudeau sheds tears on Auschwitz visit {{!}} The Jerusalem Post |url=https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/canadian-pm-trudeau-sheds-tears-on-auschwitz-visit-460048 |access-date=2025-06-20 |website=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |language=en}}

At the gas chambers and boxcar ramp, Leipciger recounted the moment when he and his mother and sister were torn apart. He recited Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead. It was reported that Prime Minister Trudeau was visibly moved to tears, as he and Leipciger shared a profound experience at the place of Leipciger's suffering, Leipciger described it as, “the moment of greatest impact." Nate placed his hands on Trudeau’s head and offered the Priestly Blessing.{{Cite web |title=Stories Survive: Nate Leipciger |url=https://mjhnyc.org/events/stories-survive-nate-leipciger/ |access-date=2025-06-20 |website=Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust |language=en-US}} At one point, Prime Minister Trudeau asked Leipciger, "How did you survive?” Leipciger credited his father's courage, rescuing him from selection to the gas chambers.{{Cite web |title=My visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau |url=https://www.convivium.ca/voices/67_my_visit_to_auschwitz-birkenau_with_prime_minister_justin_trudeau/ |access-date=2025-06-20 |language=en-CA}}

After, Leipciger reflected: "When Prime Minister Trudeau and I shed tears together in Auschwitz-Birkenau, never have I been more grateful for the welcome given to me by my adopted land, never have I been prouder to be a citizen of our beloved country, Canada. It was one of the most uplifting moments of my life." {{cite news |last1=Leipciger |first1=Nate |title=MY VISIT TO AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU WITH PRIME MINISTER JUSTIN TRUDEAU |url=http://www.cjnews.com/perspectives/ideas/visit-auschwitz-birkenau-prime-minister-justin-trudeau |accessdate=18 July 2016 |publisher=Canadian Jewish News}}

The Prime Minister said, “This past July, I was privileged to walk the grounds of Auschwitz with Nate Leipciger. It was a tremendously moving experience, one that will stay with me forever.”{{cite web|title=PM Justin Trudeau 2017 March of the Living Message|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-Pi0tdyKzA|website=YouTube|publisher=Jewish Remembrance|accessdate=18 April 2017}}

File:Nate Leipciger with Justin Trudeau - 2018.jpg

Nate Leipciger has been an active volunteer with numerous Holocaust and community organizations, including the Toronto Holocaust Remembrance Committee, The Canadian Jewish Congress, The Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre, The International Council to the Museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Facing History and Ourselves and March of the Living, participating in the latter program 17 times.

In his book Witness: Passing the Torch of Holocaust Memory to New Generations{{cite book|last1=Rubenstein|first1=Eli|title="Witness: Passing the Torch of Holocaust Memory to New Generations"|date=September 8, 2015|publisher=Second Story Press|isbn=978-1-927583-66-1}} author Eli Rubenstein quotes an exchange between Leipciger and one of the young Toronto students on the March of the Living.

Nate Leipciger: "You cannot have hate in your heart without being hateful against yourself. And that's the big problem{{snd}}when you are hateful, you become bitter, you resent everything and that becomes part of your nature." Student: "You don't hate the soldiers, who took those kids out [and murdered them]?" Nate Leipciger: "There is a difference between hating and holding them responsible. They are two different feelings. I don't have to like them, but I don't hate them. Because hate will destroy the person doing the hating."

Leipciger has given testimony several times with USC Shoah Foundation, speaking about his father, Jacob Leipciger, to whom he recognizes as the reason he himself survived the Holocaust. Feb 13, 1996, Leipciger took part in "A Father and Son Story" for father's day. The show was to recognize and celebrate life-saving actions taken by many fathers during the Holocaust. In his testimony, he was asked, "what gave you the will to go on?" Nate Leipciger answered, "my father...the fact that we were together."{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kda5mRd34R8&ab_channel=USCShoahFoundation |title=A Father-and-Son Survival Story {{!}} Nate Leipciger on Father's Day {{!}} USC Shoah Foundation |date=2023-06-18 |last=USC Shoah Foundation |access-date=2024-11-04 |via=YouTube}}

On May 26, 2019, Crestwood Highschool did an extensive interview with Leipciger about his childhood, the War beginning and ghettos being created, his deportation to Auschwitz, his imprisonment, liberation, and his views on using the lessons of the past to build a stronger future.{{Cite web |title=Leipciger, Nate – CRESTWOOD |url=https://www.crestwood.on.ca/ohp/leipciger-nate/ |access-date=2024-11-04 |language=en-US}}

March 29, 2023, International March of the Living released "2023 Survivor Spotlight," featuring Leipciger on the March as part of the Canadian delegation where he participates regularly. When writing about his participation, he was quoted saying, "In my opinion, there is no more impactful way to tell the story of the Shoah than on the site where it took place. During the March, my suffering – the hunger, isolation, fear, degradation, incarceration, and loss of family – comes back to me, and I am transported back to the reality of what defines the Shoah for me."{{Cite web |date=2023-03-29 |title=Survivor Spotlight: Nate Leipciger, Canada - International March of the Living |url=https://www.motl.org/survivor-spotlight-nate-leipciger-canada/ |access-date=2024-11-04 |language=en-US}}

"As a survivor and educator, nothing can be more rewarding than telling my story in the barracks of Birkenau and seeing the understanding and compassion written on the tear-stained faces of the participants, knowing they have become the new witnesses who will carry the story of the Shoah to the next generation."

"Be proud of our achievements and contributions to the Jewish people and the world. Stand up to racism and antisemitism, and fight with determination using all available elements of our free society through legislation and education. Stand your ground with truth and knowledge and defy false narratives and falsehoods. Join the fight for all human rights. Remember that we have the same rights as all other people; the right to live with dignity, respect, freedom from discrimination, freedom of religion and the right to worship in the manner we choose."

Leipciger has travelled and taken part in the March of the Living over twenty times alongside In an article written by Eli Rubenstein, Leipciger talked about the intersectionality of the Holocaust and the October 7th attack in Israel. When Rubenstein asked how he, as a survivor compared the Holocaust with October 7, 2023, Leipciger said, “I think it is a situation which we as human beings have never seen. It’s a barbarism and I cannot equate it with anything else,” describing the attack as worse than the Shoa.{{Cite web |last=Rubenstein |first=Eli |date=January 14, 2024 |title=Marking 100 Days Since October 7th: Reflections |url=https://www.sacredsearch.org/s/Marking-100-Days-Since-October-7th-Reflections-from-Eli-Rubenstein-6rtg.pdf |access-date=November 4, 2024 |website=Sacred Search}}

{{See|March of the Living}}

On April 24, 2025, marking the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation, Nate participated in the March of the Living for the 21st time. The event brought together 80 Holocaust survivors—40 from Israel and 40 from the diaspora—along with thousands of participants. He has been outspoken in his fight against antisemitism, “Everyday could have been my death… Jewish rights are also human rights!”

Leipciger has been interviewed numerous times about his thoughts and feelings on the events of October 7 attack in 2023 and the ongoing war between Israel and Palestine. The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) and International March of the Living featured Leipciger one month after the October 7th attack. Leipciger spoke about being attacked in the streets as a little boy in Poland. He spoke about the number on his left forearm, and how this became his only identification. Leipciger also spoke about his entire family murdered. "I am devastated to see that Jews are being attacked on the streets today and on campuses." Leipciger stated, "Jews are not safe...anywhere." I saw where antisemitism can lead. Don't be a bystander, fight antisemitism now."{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMtKTLIZp20&ab_channel=CombatAntisemitismMovement |title=Auschwitz Holocaust Survivor Nate Leipciger Speaks on the October 7th Attack on Israel |date=2023-11-09 |last=Combat Antisemitism Movement |access-date=2024-11-04 |via=YouTube}}

In 2024 Leipciger was interviewed on the Arvum Rosensweig Show with Eli Rubenstein about the response of Jewish people around the world and how they respond to the level of antisemitism today. When asked if Leipciger was surprised at the level of antisemitism in the world today, he replied, "I am surprised. I shouldn't be, but I am. 80 years after Auschwitz [the Holocaust] is not a long time, and when the vengeance with which antisemitism has returned has eliminated the gap between then and now... I think [like most people] I feel disappointed, I feel troubled, I feel horrified by the loss of life we have witnessed on Oct 7, and with the brutality with which it was conducted. It was unequal even Isis didn't show pictures like that."{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVQflCDEBIM&t=85s&ab_channel=TheAvrumRosensweigShow:KingofQuestions |title=October 7th: I've Never Seen Anything Like This. Nate Leipciger |date=2023-12-31 |last=The Avrum Rosensweig Show: King of Questions |access-date=2024-11-05 |via=YouTube}}{{Cite web |title=Page 15 |url=https://www.avrumrosensweig.com/copy-of-podcasts-3 |access-date=2024-11-05 |website=Purpose & Meaning |language=en}}

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• {{cite web|last=Berthiaume|first=Lee|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/07/10/trudeau-tours-auschwitz-concentration-camp-with-canadian-survivor.html |title=Trudeau in tears at Auschwitz concentration camp with Canadian survivor | Toronto Star |website=Thestar.com |date=2016-07-10 |accessdate=2017-03-10}}
• {{cite web|url=https://s2.netgalley.com/catalog/book/71805 |title=Witness | Eli Rubenstein with The March of the Living | 9781927583661 | NetGalley |website=S2.netgalley.com |date=2015-09-08 |accessdate=2017-03-10}}

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Category:1928 births

Category:Living people

Category:Auschwitz concentration camp survivors

Category:Dachau concentration camp survivors

Category:Polish emigrants to Canada

Category:People from Chorzów