Eisen, Max

Max Eisen was born in Hungary, where he remembers his prewar life in positive terms.   When the war reached Hungary in 1944, Max and his family were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where most of the family was murdered.  Max survived the initial selection along with his father and uncle, but only Max was able to survive the grueling slave labour.  Once he was seriously injured, finding himself in the hospital of the death camp; the Polish doctor there took pity on him, and put Max to work in the medical facility.   Because of that decision, Max survived six months in Auschwitz-Birkenau, and the death marches at the end of the war. He is a passionate speaker and educator who works through the Holocaust Center, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre and the Center for Diversity. He has been coming to Crestwood for many years now, and his message of tolerance and respect has reached many Crestwood students.  Max first visited Crestwood in 2008, and we were happy to host Max on two occasions in 2017; he spoke with Justin Soberman at his home, and he visited Mr. Masters’ classroom, where Alexa Gibson took the lead on his interview.