Holocaust Survivor Decries Hamas' 'Cruelty' Against Isreal, Reveals How Hitler's Terror Upended Entire Life

Eighty years after diabolical German leader Adolf Hitler went on a reign of terror, killing millions of Jewish men, women, and children, the stories of pain, horror, loss, and tragedy continue to reverberate. Victims like Jochen "Jack" Wurfl continue educate today's generations about what unfolded, with his new book, "My Two Lives" releasing just weeks before Hamas' deadly Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel. Wurfl opened up in an interview with CBN News about the traumatic events he experienced during World War II as his mother, who was Jewish, and father, a Catholic, both lost their lives during the Holocaust. Wurfl and his brother, Peter, were sent away in an effort to keep them safe. Another factor allowing the children to blend in and escape Hitler's wrath was their mixed background.  "My parents decided very wisely to have us baptized Catholic, and that helped us all along because every time someone asked us, or we had to complete some papers or something, instead of saying 'Jewish,' we could say, 'Catholic,'" he said. "So, that was a big help at that time." Wurfl started school in Berlin when he was just 6 years old, recalling how he and the other students had to go into the backyard of the school and learn how to march and sing Hitler's praises — something they wanted no part of but were forced to do. "We had to learn how to march and how to say, 'Hail, Hitler!'" he said, "When we were a couple years older than that, we were actually beginning to be taught by the Hitler Youth ... to use certain weapons such as bazookas and grenades and that type of thing. We were just kids." Wurfl said he and his brother were young but knew they were hiding out under the guise of their Catholic identity. They also knew the costs were quite high. Wurfl and his family soon faced the unthinkable, as his father was arrested and sent to a concentration camp. Eventually, his mother, too, faced the same fate; both died. The story is particularly pertinent as the Israel-Hamas war continues to rage and anti-Semitism grows. "It's very disturbing," he said of Hamas' violence and rising anti-Jewish sentiment. "It was very, very surprising how they went about it in such cruelty." Listen to his story. -- Welcome to "The Newsmakers Podcast," a show where we go behind the headlines each day to bring you interviews with pastors, entertainers, politicians, and other notable figures. Based on the "Newsmakers" show on the CBN News Channel, this daily podcast featuring CBN's Billy Hallowell provides full interviews with one newsworthy person every weekday.