My Grandfather Joseph

My grandfather Joseph is seventy-four years old and he is always smiling. He is always cheerful. Nothing can get him down. He is the type of person that always sees the positive side of things. He is very kind and always caring and dependable. He has lots of white hair and blue eyes that radiate warmth and love. When he is around, you can’t help it but feel so safe. When he gives me one of his bear hugs, I feel that nothing in the world could ever harm me. He is always spending time at our house. He has his own key and comes and goes as he pleases. My grandfather is a very talented artist. His paintings are full of inspiration. I love him so much.

My grandfather is a European Jew, born in Hungary. He and his family were orthodox. My grandfather was a very respectful Jew who observed the Jewish laws and Kashrut, and he always kept the Sabbath. He has very fond memories of his life from birth to thirteen years old, until the Nazis took over Hungary. That’s when his life turned upside down.

My grandfather survived the Holocaust. He was taken away with his family when he was thirteen years old to a concentration camp in Auschwitz. He was immediately separated from his parents and little sister. He was very lucky to be sent to the concentration camp with his big brother, otherwise he wouldn’t have made it through. His brother tried very hard to help him survive. For example, he gave him his little piece of bread that they only got once a day. They kept each other’s hopes alive. At thirteen years old, he managed to survive in a Nazi concentration camp amongst adults. Most of the children had already been killed. His brother was murdered right in front of him, less than a month before the camp was liberated, yet he still managed to survive. After surviving his ordeal but losing his parents and his siblings, he managed to still keep his optimistic outlook and moved to Israel. My grandfather, the hero, managed to preserve his family name and continue his family’s legacy and religion against all odds. After all he went through, he got married and had two children. He has four grandchildren and a fifth on the way.

My grandfather Joseph is important to me because in spite of what he went through losing his whole family, and all the atrocities that he witnessed, he is still the best and is always fun to be with. My grandfather is the best because he always has a positive way of looking at life. He knows not to “sweat the small stuff." I love spending time with him. He is an amazing artist, who paints oil on canvas. My grandfather even built my brothers and me a tree house in my backyard. I know I can always count on him for anything in the world. He’ll always be there for my brothers and me. I love him very much. I am so proud that he is my grandfather!