The Boy Who Lost His Birthday is the uplifting story of one man's journey from boyhood in rural Hungary to triumph over oppression during the Holocaust and finally to a role as a spiritual leader in America. Rabbi Laszlo Berkowits' compelling memoir recounts his happy childhood memories in Derecske, Hungary where he was a member of a thriving Jewish community and aspired to become a cantor. Stricken with wartime poverty, Berkowits and his father left their home and family behind to seek work in Budapest. It was there that they were rounded up with other Budapest Jews and shipped by sealed train to Auschwitz in the summer of 1944. Berkowits vividly narrates his treacherous experience as a sixteen year-old boy surviving in the notorious Nazi concentration camp until its liberation by American troops.

After recovery in Sweden, Berkowits immigrated to America were he completed his education, joined the United States Army, and became a chaplain's assistant. After leaving the Army, he undertook graduate study at Hebrew Union College, married, and became the founding rabbi of the largest Jewish congregation in Virginia, Temple Rodef Shalom. Berkowits' story shows that he emerged victorious over deprivation, cruelty, and tragedy to become an exemplar of American success.

By Berkowits and Kenny

Chapter 1 Acknowledgements
Chapter 2 Introduction
Chapter 3 Preface
Chapter 4 Chapter 1: My World
Chapter 5 Chapter 2: Our Jewish Community
Chapter 6 Chapter 3: The World Changed
Chapter 7 Chapter 4: Budapest
Chapter 8 Chapter 5: Arrest and Deportation
Chapter 9 Chapter 6: Arrival
Chapter 10 Chapter 7: Auschwitz-Birkenau
Chapter 11 Chapter 8: After
Chapter 12 Chapter 9: Toward Recovery
Chapter 13 Chapter 10: A New Life
Chapter 14 References