A Boy Named 68818, by Israel Starck (as told to Miriam [Starck] Miller), is the story of young Srulek Storch (renamed Israel Starck when he came to America after the war), and his experiences during the Holocaust years. The story begins with Srulek’s idyllic and happy life in Podhoryan, a small Hungarian town. Srulek’s life is abruptly shattered with the Nazi invasion of Hungary. What follows are Srulek’s experiences during the terrible war, as well as the fate of his family. From deportation to concentration camp, from the loss of his parents to back-breaking slave labor, from roll calls to starvation, Srulek maintained faith and dignity throughout.
While this book was written for teens, it is a must read for all ages, as we preserve the past to build the future.
In the words of R’ Yisrael Meir Lau, from his approbation which appears at the beginning of the book: “Aside from telling the story of the author’s personal encounters throughout this era, A Boy Named 68818 teaches future generations an important lesson: how Jews sacrificed their lives in sanctification of G-d’s Name as well as how they knew how to live in sanctification of His Name in those hellish circumstances. Even in the harshest situations, Jews maintained their human dignity…
“In writing this book, the author has fulfilled the mitzvah, ‘Remember what Amalek did to you… you shall not forget!” (Devarim 25:17-19)… As the years pass, and the numbers of the survivors who can never forget the events of those days are dwindling, the importance of books such as this increases dramatically, in order to remember and remind the entire world of what was…
“With honor and appreciation, R’ Israel Meir Lau.”