Apex man who survived Holocaust turns 100, shares story with the world

A man now living in Apex celebrated his 100th birthday on Saturday. It’s all the more significant given his early life in Poland.

He was among the many torn from their loved ones and homes and placed in Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust.

Simon Lewenberg’s 100th birthday was celebrated by his family, and a special presentation was given by Apex Mayor Jaques Gilbert.

"Please accept my heartfelt congratulatory wishes as you celebrate this commendable milestone and look toward the future," Gilbert said.

Lewenberg accepted the gift with a bit of surprise.

"That’s for me?" he asked.

He had crossed a significant milestone.

"I’m 100 years old," Lewenberg said.

Given his early life story, his survival is all the more amazing.

"He’s a very strong man," said daughter, Gail Goldstein. "I mean, you have to be to survive what he survived."

As a young man, Lewenberg was separated from his family. They were all assigned to concentration camps, facing hard labor and torture.

About 11 million people were killed in the Holocaust, which took place before and during World War II.

For decades Lewenberg was reluctant to speak of the horrors he witnessed and experienced.

"It’s not easy to talk about," he said.

His son, David Lyons, convinced him to share his story by writing a book. "Simon Says: Memoirs of a Holocaust Survivor" was then published.

"His memory was unbelievable," Lyons said. "I mean, he knew everything like it was yesterday."

The published book includes photographs of his paternal parents and grandparents before the war.

Along with his two brothers, Lewenberg had a large family. All of their pictures are included in his book.

After regaining his freedom when the war ended, he traveled by ship to make a new home in New York. It’s where he married Shirley, the love of his life, who has since passed away.

He still bears the faint remains of his prison tattoo, a mark which is now shared by his son and grandsons on their left arms. They are all part of his story now to be shared with the world.

"This story is going to get lost if we don’t do something," his daughter said.

She and her brother hope that their father's experiences won’t be left on a shelf.

"We don’t want people to forget about this," Lyons said. "This is a remembrance of what happened to my father – what happened to millions of Jews and millions of other people."

Lewenberg’s son was also behind a documentary called "Simon Says," which has been aired around the world on "Jewish Living Television."