77 years ago today- Joe Rubinstein arrived at Auschwitz/Birkenau Concentration Camp

April 30, 1942, my dear friend, Joe Rubinstein (21), arrived at the Auschwitz/Birkenau Concentration Camp where he would be imprisoned for over two years. His only crime? Being Jewish. Sweet Joe had been taken from the Radom, Poland ghetto, leaving behind a beloved family he would never see again. His widowed mother and four siblings, including Joe’s identical twin, would all later be murdered at the Treblinka death camp along with nearly everyone else Joe knew and loved. Though he was barefooted when he was taken, he would become one of the world’s leading shoe designers. Joe is 98 now and is still the most joy-filled man I’ve ever known…this from a man who lost nearly everything a person can lose. What a lesson of hope for us all! Joe tells everyone, “Love life, love God and love each other…that’s all there is.” To learn more of Joe’s remarkable and surprising story, ask your favorite bookstore/library for the bestselling book: Auschwitz #34207 - The Joe Rubinstein Story.