How One Boy Survived Auschwitz and Found His Dog
Most kids spend their 12th birthday with playing with friends and eating cake.
Emery Grosinger spent his in Auschwitz.
Over the next 12 months, Emery endured a Nazi roundup, forced labor, the loss of both parents and a death march, all before his 13th birthday on May 8, 1945, now known as Victory in Europe Day.
In this episode, I talk with Kari Alterman, Emery’s daughter, about what it means to rebuild from nothing.
Kari shares how her father escaped death by following a group of boys through a broken window. How he reconnected with his mother through a fence at Auschwitz. How a friend’s whisper, “Say you’re Hungarian,” (not Jewish) helped him survive Mauthausen. And how, when he finally returned to his village, one piece of his old life remained, the family dog.
Kari also reflects on how her father’s values shaped her work today as a philanthropic advisor, helping others use their resources to build a more just and generous world.
This is a powerful story, rooted in horror, but also threaded with love, grit, resilience, and small miracles. How a boy with no parents, no home, and no inheritance grew into a man who passed down a good name and an incredible legacy.
Listen here:
