Samuel Hoffman / Martin Hoffman (M / Czechia, 1929-2018), Holocaust survivor

Samuel Hoffman / Martin Hoffman (M / Czechia, 1929-2018), Holocaust survivor

• KEYWORDS : <Auschwitz> <Buchenwald> <Liberation of Buchenwald> -- <Czechia> <Windermere Children> <England>

• MEMOIRS : Bridging Two Worlds (2019)

Biography

• wiki.en (Martin Hoffman)

Samuel Hoffman was born November 15, 1929 in Prague, Czechia. In 1944 he was deported to Auschwitz, and from there to Monowitz-Buna, Gross Rosen and back to Auschwitz. He survived a death march towards Buchenwald, where he remained until liberation.

After liberation, he went to back to Prague. In August 1945 he joined the Windermere Children and went to England. As an adult he became a famous professional bridge player.

Book : Bridging Two Worlds (2019)

This is a rare account of the horrors of the WW2 death camps from someone who experienced them. Born into an Orthodox Jewish family in Prague, Hoffman lost his entire family in the Holocaust. Fourteen-year-old Martin Hoffman escapes immediate death on arrival at Auschwitz by claiming to be eighteen. Through a combination of chutzpah and luck, he first survives a year at Auschwitz, then the Death March to Buchenwald, and stays alive until the camp is liberated by American troops.

After relocating to England, Hoffman is tortured by survivor's guilt, which leads to episodes of deep depression. He learns a trade (diamond-cutting), but eventually discovers two things: a talent for bridge, and a fascination with gambling. As he finds success with the first, becoming a world-class professional player, the second almost destroys him.

It is only later in life, with the help of his wife Audrey, that Hoffman is able to overcome his dark memories, conquer his addiction to gambling, and finally find contentment in a new life in Florida.