Nathan Taffel was born in Radomish Weilke, Poland in May 1928. He was the second youngest of ten children, seven girls and three boys. His father, like much of his family, was a farmer. After Hitler [Annotator's Note: German dictator Adolf Hitler] and the Nazis came to power in 1938, things started getting difficult for Taffel and the other Jews living in Radomish Weilke. Taffel was frequently harassed by his classmates. Despite this, life was basically good. This went on until anti-Semitic laws were passed prohibiting Jews from attending schools.

Nathan Taffel was in Poland at the outbreak of war in September 1939. He and his family hid in the basement as they heard the sound of Wehrmacht [Annotator's Note: the German military] boots outside. The soldiers badly mistreated Taffel's father. It was difficult for the young boy to witness his father being beaten. When the Wehrmacht moved on, the SS black uniformed troops came in. Their job was to persecute and eliminate the Jews. The Gestapo [Annotator's Note: Geheime Staatspolizei or Secret State Police] followed the SS to assist in that hideous job. Valuables were taken from the Jews without hesitation. Life was sad in town. Jews were prevented from attending school. Men were ordered to report to the authorities. They were segregated from others. Taffel went to investigate his brother being incarcerated but was turned back by Gestapo officers. That was the beginning of the catastrophes. Seeing even rougher times ahead, Taffel's father moved the family to the Jewish ghetto in the city of Tarnow. Conditions in the ghetto were terrible. The family lived in cramped conditions and food became scarce. After some time there, one of Taffel's sisters decided to leave the ghetto with her husband, Taffel, and another of Taffel's sisters. Taffel's brother-in-law ushered the group out into a waiting wagon and slipped out of the ghetto. The wagon took them to a camp in the town of Smoczka where a few of their other siblings were waiting. Taffel spent about a year in Smoczka which was a German army camp.

Nathan Taffel and other Jews were forced by the Germans to build roads in Poland. At times, his life was threatened. The Gestapo [Annotator's Note: Geheime Staatspolizei or Secret State Police] particularly selected people to be shot but Taffel's foreman urged the Nazis not to kill the young boy because he was a good worker. While laboring, Taffel had little to eat. He did manage to have horse meat on one occasion. Life was very bad. He worked there for one year. He was separated from his siblings. He constantly did something to survive. After the work was completed, he was sent by truck with others to a forced labor camp at Mielec. Upon arrival, a German soldier tattooed "KL" on the Jews' arms to indicate that they were in a German concentration camp [Annotator's Note: Taffel reveals the tattoo on his arm for the camera]. Taffel was 12 years of age at the time. He worked in the transport department supplying parts for German planes shot down by Russia. He also cleaned offices. He was beaten by guards during that time. His brother was in a different barrack. He informed his younger brother of the annihilation of the Jews. Taffel's brother had been required to dig graves. Mothers and babies were killed in horrible fashion. Taffel's brother never got over it. His brother dug graves for people who had been killed by asphyxiation in mobile killing trucks. After that experience, Taffel's brother was sent to Mielec to work. People were dying in the camp from all kinds of sicknesses. Taffel had to endure a tooth extraction with no medicine. There was no way to shower or clean. Taffel worked there for one year. Men were separated from women. They were put on trucks for a destination unknown. They arrived at a town near Auschwitz. There were rumors that they would be sent to Auschwitz to be killed. Instead, they were sent to Germany to repair aircraft. The Germans had decided to take advantage of the Jews' previous knowledge of repairing airplanes. They were outfitted in prison garb and sent to work at Flossenburg, Germany in Bavaria.

Nathan Taffel worked at a huge camp in Flossenburg, Germany. The camp included many different types of individuals disliked by Hitler [Annotator's Note: German dictator Adolf Hitler] in addition to the Jews. Taffel made repair parts for damaged aircraft. The camp had no doctors. Sickness and death was prevalent. The inmates slept in bunk beds with little food. The soup once contained a human finger that Taffel surmised one inmate ultimately ate. The Germans allowed Taffel to take scraps from the garbage to help feed his brother. The prisoners worked dawn to dusk. Showers were rare. When they were provided the water was cold. Prisoners were beaten by the guards if they tried to avoid the freezing water. Lice were prevalent. Doomsday seemed around the corner. Taffel lived day to day. When some inmates nearly escaped, other people in their barrack were hung in front of the assembled prisoners. Life was tragic. It all comes back to Taffel over the subsequent years. Eventually, all of the Jews were gathered in the center of the camp and put on railcars. The Americans saw what was happening and destroyed the locomotives. Some prisoners were killed. Another locomotive was hooked up, but it too was destroyed. The inmates were removed from the train and taken on a death march. It was April [Annotator's Note: April 1945].

Nathan Taffel and his brother were forced by the Germans to leave their labor camp and begin a death march. The weather was harsh and the inmates were treated brutally. Taffel had to repeatedly urge his brother to continue and not stop. Those who did not march were shot and loaded on wagons with the other dead. A German Army officer with only one arm appeared. He spoke with the SS guards. The guards abandoned the inmates. The Taffel brothers found some food in a pig trough. They were so hungry that they consumed the slop. The homeowner gave them bread. The former prisoners heard that Americans were near. Taffel and his brother went in that direction and found the friendly forces. Language was a problem but a Jewish soldier managed to communicate with the Taffel brothers. The Americans provided food and clothes to the boys. Taffel was given jam. He had not been provided with any sweets in four and a half years. He had to eat it slowly. The time spent with the Americans was good. It was like a miracle. Finding out that other survivors were in a town in Germany called Schwandorf, the Taffel brothers headed in that direction. They were given food and clothes by the Americans and Jewish organizations. Taffel was given training for a trade. Taffel's brother went back to their hometown to look for family survivors. His brother found out that none of the family had survived. Taffel's hate for the perpetrators who had killed his family grew. He wanted to find and kill them. Ultimately, he reconciled those feelings and left the hate behind. He hates no one. People all have a purpose. Taffel learned to treat people like they treat him. He found work cutting wood for a German widow. He decided to leave Europe. He signed a contract with the Australian government to work for them to pay for his voyage. Most of the people on the ship were Nazi or SS people. Taffel could see their swastika tattoos under their arms when they showered. The Australian government was desperate for manpower. When the ship transited the Suez Canal, Egyptian soldiers boarded it and demanded all Jews exit the vessel. The Italian captain refused to allow that and told the Egyptians to leave his ship. Taffel became a friend with an Italian sailor. They both went to Australia together and worked for that government.

While he was in Australia, Nathan Taffel communicated with a brother-in-law in Chicago. He had survived the ghetto but Taffel's sister had been gassed. Taffel found out from his brother-in-law that his parents had been shot in the ghetto. Taffel's brother went to Argentina and was very poor. Taffel's brother had remained in Germany after the war but had mental problems that caused him great difficulties. Taffel became an Australian citizen. He applied for entry into the United States but the process took ten years because of his Australian citizenship and Polish ancestry. The Korean War was ongoing so it could have been expedited but Taffel let the process run its course.

Nathan Taffel came to the United States and lost contact with his brother in Argentina. Taffel had a brother-in-law in Chicago but decided to move to Milwaukee. He obtained a job in the livestock business. He had worked extensively in Australia as a cook. He learned the English language while in Australia. After reaching the United States, he married and had three children, two sons and a daughter. His son found his cousin in Argentina. A family reunion occurred in South America. It was difficult for Taffel to communicate with his brother. The relationship could not be established. A few visits occurred afterward. His brother eventually went to Israel to die. Taffel returned to Poland and his hometown. He saw his family home. It was very upsetting. No records on any of his relatives were available. Jewish graveyards were being reestablished since the Germans had bulldozed them over. Taffel and his family participated in a ceremony there. He took his family to Flossenburg where he had been held. Taffel could not bring himself to go to Auschwitz.

Nathan Taffel began to speak for concentration camp survivors. He has continued to do so across the country for 15 years. He speaks to educational institutions and other venues. He has been placed in the Congressional Record which was a major honor. He tells the audience that family connections are the most important thing in life. Next in importance is education. The main objective is not to hate. The United States liberated Europe and fights for liberty, democracy, and freedom. It is a good country and well respected. Taffel loves the United States very much even though his political ideas may run counter to some. Taffel's daughter has written a book entitled "Stolen Childhood" about her father's experiences [Annotator's Note: Taffel holds the book up for the camera].

Nathan Taffel found out that his parent had been shot in the Tarnow ghetto from his brother-in-law after the war. His brother-in-law's wife had been gassed. Taffel's second sister had been pushed out of a railcar into the Vistula River and she drowned. A survivor of that incident found Taffel's brother in Argentina and related the story to him. Taffel lives with the atrocities. They never let go. He has sleepless nights after talking to audiences about his Holocaust experiences. He is glad to make an impact on other peoples' lives. He donates to causes that focus on remembrances. In Taffel's family, only he, his brother, and a brother-in-law survived the Holocaust. Taffel grew up as an Orthodox Jew but is reformed now. He brought up his children to be very ethical. He has the greatest family in the world. He continues to speak on the Holocaust. Poland still has prevalent anti-Semitism. Property taken from the Jews during the war was never returned. All the major death camps were in Poland. The Jews were sacrificed. In the United States, people succeed if they are willing to work. Israel is also held in high esteem by Taffel. No Jew will ever be gassed again without a fight. Taffel was disappointed that Nazis were allowed in the United States. Hate groups should be outlawed. Taffel continues to speak at schools to educate the young people. Articles are written about Taffel in the newspapers. He is committed to not profit by educating others.

Nathan Taffel lived in a ghetto when he was very young. The Orthodox Jews lived close to the temple so it was easy to make a ghetto. It was also easy to round them up. Taffel was driven like a sheep in the ghetto and concentration camp. He lived day by day. He lived like an animal without education. He has educated himself since the war ended. His children are happy here. The United States is a great country and is strong because of its military. America fights wars to give liberty and freedom of speech.

Nathan Taffel sees the freedoms in America as being its greatest gift. Citizens should not abuse those freedoms. He hopes the country stays the way it is. He does not feel that he is a Zionist. He gets along with people. He tries to avoid being bigoted. He educates children not to practice hate and anti-Semitism. There is only one God no matter what religion a person follows. Taffel does not need a temple to pray. He can pray anywhere. He does not understand why a person would kill other people for no reason. It must be a mental problem. He is willing to speak on his ideas anywhere.