 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(October 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Ben Abraham (bornHenryk Nekrycz; December 11, 1924 – October 9, 2015) was a Polish-born writer and historian who became a naturalized Brazilian citizen.
He was the son of Abraham Nekrycz and Ida Nekrycz, and was born inŁódź,Poland. Abraham survived theghetto in the city and the concentration camps during the years ofGerman occupation of his country.
Abraham's parents were murdered in theAuschwitz concentration camp. After Auschwitz, he spent time in three other concentration camps:Braunschweig,Watenstedt [de], andRavensbrück. On the night of May 1, 1945, he was released, weighing 28 kg (62 lb) and suffering fromtuberculosis in both lungs, scurvy and dysentery. Among Abraham's 200 relatives he and his cousin were the only ones who survived.[citation needed]
Ben Abraham spent the next two years being transferred between several American hospitals in Germany, eventually achieving a full recovery. According to him "It was a miracle; that time tuberculosis cure did not even exist".[citation needed]
In 1947, after his recovery he clandestinely immigrated toPalestine. There Abraham witnessed another conflict, The War of Independence of theIsrael State. He was not admitted to the army due to his health, so he bought an old truck and worked for the Israeli army as a driver.[1]
Abraham arrived inBrazil on January 21, 1955. On April 28, 1956 he married Miriam Dvora Brik, of aUkrainian Jewish family fromLutsk.[2] In Brazil, he was recruited byMossad and cooperated with it until mid-90s.[1] He was naturalized as a Brazilian citizen on January 30, 1959.[citation needed]
For his work and 15 books related to the Holocaust, Abraham received numerous honors as a journalist, including the Golden Key ofYad Vashem and the Medal of Honor and Merit ofUniversity of São Paulo.[3]
Ben Abraham died in São Paulo, just two months before his 91st birthday.[4]
