An extraordinary memoir of endurance, faith, and a unique skill that kept three brothers together—and alive—during the darkest times of World War II.
National Jewish Book Award Finalist
PRAISE FOR THE WATCHMAKERS
“A truly extraordinary book…. jaw-droppingly well-written and uplifting…. It reads like a thriller, and revived my faith in the enduring quality and beauty of the human spirit, even when mired in the depths of darkness and crazed evil…. Unputdownable.”
—Damien Lewis, #1 internationally bestselling author
“A saga of fortitude, resilience, brotherly love, and faith. It should be read by anyone—students, teachers, historians—who cares about preserving the memory of those who, like Harry Lenga and his brothers, found a way of remaining alive—and remaining human—in the face of evil.”
—Dr. Michael Oren, former Israeli Ambassador to the United States, and member of Knesset
“The Watchmakers is an extraordinary book—gripping, inspiring, and terrifying all at once. . . . Harry Lenga speaks to us in his own voice captured from more than forty hours of interviews, notwithstanding the twenty-two years since his natural death. Here, Scott Lenga offers an empowering model for future generations of survivor descendants and delivers a harrowing saga of timeless values put to the test.”
—Blu Greenberg, founder of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance and author of On Women and Judaism: A View from Tradition and How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household
“Inspiring. Exhilarating. Astonishing. An epic tale of brotherhood, ingenuity, and survival, told with the ticking precision of a wind-up watch.”
—Heather Dune Macadam, international bestselling author of 999: The Extraordinary Young Women of the First Official Jewish Transport to Auschwitz
“A vivid and compelling account of survival through family solidarity and bartered watchmaker skills. The journey of Harry Lenga and his two brothers . . . is a story of resilience, adaptability, ingenuity, endurance, and perseverance.”
—Christopher R. Browning, Frank Porter Graham Professor of History Emeritus, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and author of Ordinary Men and Remembering Survival
“An astonishing testament to courage, guile, and brotherly devotion under impossible circumstances. Gripping as a thriller, deeply moving, it brings fresh urgency to a vitally important piece of history. Everyone should read it.”
—Jesse Kellerman, bestselling author
“Scott Lenga’s significant accomplishment was to capture his father’s voice and portray his experience from early childhood as a young Chassidic boy into the gates of Auschwitz and beyond . . . Harry Lenga survived not merely by luck, but with his skill as a watchmaker, his audacity, and his ingenuity as he faced all but certain death time and again . . . The work is compelling, the writing is riveting, and one comes away with deep gratitude to both father and son.”
—Michael Berenbaum, Professor of Jewish Studies and Director of Sigi Ziering Institute, American Jewish University, Los Angeles
“A unique survival story that will take its place in Holocaust literature alongside works by greats such as Elie Wiesel and Primo Levi.”
—Tom Young, author of Silver Wings, Iron Cross and Red Burning Sky
“As an educator, I found this amazing story of resilience, chutzpah, and endurance to be a powerful message to every student in every classroom. . . It takes the reader through the most horrific events of the Holocaust without traumatizing. . . Above all, it leaves us with hope—always the hope—that one needed in order to survive.”
—Ephraim Kaye, former Director for International Seminars for Educators at the International School for Holocaust Studies of Yad Vashem
“An intimate, powerful, and eloquent memoir . . . The focus required for precision watchmaking became a shield of resistance for Harry and his brothers . . . This craft learned from their father sustained their spirits, lifting them above the soul-crushing world of their captivity.”
—Michael Clerizo, author of Masters of Contemporary Watchmaking and George Daniels: A Master Watchmaker and His Art
“A fascinating read…. Harry Lenga’s focus on the day-to-day—indeed the moment-to-moment—struggle to survive strikes home vividly…. I really came to appreciate the life and death significance of something as simple as a pair of shoes, a battered metal soup bowl, or a shave…. As Harry notes, it could happen anywhere. The Watchmakers serves as a fresh warning of the dangers of ignoring history.”
—Simon Scarrow, Sunday Times bestselling author of Blackout and the Eagles of the Empire series
“The Watchmakers is a vivid reminder of a Jewish world erased, miracles of survival, and lives of resilience—all characteristics of an extraordinary generation we are in danger of forgetting all too quickly.”
—Daniel Gordis, Koret Distinguished Fellow, Shalem College, Jerusalem, and author of Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn
“A very personal life of a Polish Jew. The Watchmakers is an important account of Jewish life in Poland in the years preceding the Holocaust and the struggle for life during the Holocaust itself. It beautifully describes the strength of spirit that enabled some Jews to survive the Nazi onslaught.”
—John T. Pawlikowski, OSM, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Social Ethics, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago
“A beautiful tribute to the bond of brotherhood. Against all odds, Harry Lenga and his brothers managed to endure multiple concentration camps, ghettos, and a death march during the Holocaust . . . manages to highlight . . . the hope for a better tomorrow.”
—Adena Bernstein Astrowsky, author of Living among the Dead: My Grandmother’s Holocaust Survival Story of Love and Strength
“A must read! This is a story of broken family relationships that become unbreakable when put to the test. You feel their quickening heartbeat and the cut of the tightrope on their feet as they face death with every step. Inspiring and unforgettable.”
—Hadassah Lieberman, author of Hadassah: An American Story
“Both shocking and wonderful this is a memoir you won’t be able to forget. From his youth in a Chassidic community in Poland through the worst of the German Nazi horrors, we actually hear Harry Lenga’s voice, masterfully curated by his son, Scott . . . Beautifully written and deeply researched, The Watchmakers is a book to be shared.”
—Joshua Teitelbaum, Professor of Middle Eastern Studies, Bar-llan University, Israel, and author of Saudi Arabia and the New Strategic Landscape
“I worked closely with Harry Lenga . . . He very often gave personal testimony . . . and mesmerized his audiences. Harry’s story . . . is replete with multiple examples of spiritual resistance as well as incredible bravery, moral and ethical courage, and altruistic behavior . . . This book should have a central place in every course that is taught on the Holocaust.”
—Rabbi Robert Sternberg, founding director of the St. Louis Holocaust Museum and co-author of Jewish-Christian Relations in Light of the Holocaust
“Harry Lenga was the kindest person I ever met . . . My students were blessed to meet Harry and hear his explanation of how he survived the Holocaust. Harry’s memoir The Watchmakers is an essential contribution to Holocaust education and research. As I read it, I could picture Harry talking to me and my students.”
—David C. Oughton, PhD, Associate Professor of Religions of the World, Saint Louis University, former religion teacher at Christian Brothers College High School, St. Louis, and co-author of Jewish-Christian Relations in Light of the Holocaust
“I had the great privilege of interviewing Harry Lenga . . . and accompanying him to different speaking engagements in the early 1980s. I vividly remember the powerful expressions on the faces of the students who listened and learned from this extraordinary man . . . The impact . . . was truly everlasting. What’s written in The Watchmakers is truly Harry’s voice.”
—Vida “Sister” Goldman Prince, Chair, Oral History Project, St. Louis Holocaust Museum and Learning Center
“The Watchmakers is an amazing story of the family bond of three brothers enduring the Holocaust . . . Their watchmaking skills enabled them to navigate through unbelievable hardships . . . Our father was fated to be a liberator of Ebensee, and the overwhelming images, stench of death, and emotions he encountered when his tank entered the concentration camp were etched into his memory. We feel that our father would have been honored to meet Harry Lenga.”
—Alan Persinger, Peggy Giannangeli, and Linda Osikowicz, children of U.S. Army Platoon Sergeant Robert Persinger, tank commander who liberated the Ebensee Concentration Camp
“An epic tale of courage, endurance, and grit on the scale of those heroic sagas dating back to The Odyssey . . . Homer’s description of Odysseus—strong, courageous, and ingenious—also describes Harry Lenga as he and his two brothers undertake a journey to freedom every bit as harrowing and brutal as the one taken by Odysseus.”
—Michael A. Kahn, trial lawyer and award-winning author of Bad Trust
“Harry Lenga’s sharp and honest voice, curated lovingly by his son, presents a survivor’s story that is full of high drama, but the narrative is equally attuned to the material details of everyday life before and after the war.”
—David Henkin, Professor of History, University of California, Berkeley, and author of The Week
“A remarkable story of survival through ingenuity and mutual loyalty—brotherhood—that stands out even in the vast field of Holocaust memoir… exceptionally useful in any educational setting.”
—Rachel L. Greenblatt, PhD, Judaica Librarian, Brandeis University, and Lecturer in Jewish Studies, Dartmouth College
“An inspiring story of hope and resilience in the darkest of times, conveyed in a rarely found lively, relatable, and sober voice. Over and over, their close-knit fraternal bond, their watchmaking skills, and a fair share of luck enabled them to survive another day.”
—Nathan Guttman, US Bureau Chief, Israeli Public TV
“With the odds overwhelmingly stacked against them, three brothers maintained their commitment to each other and defied their fate. How Lenga and his brothers navigated their way amid the valley of death and emerged with their humanity intact is a story that needs to be read.”
—David Makovsky, Ziegler Distinguished Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and Adjunct Professor of Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
“The Watchmakers is a well-written and engaging story of survival during the darkest years of the twentieth century . . . It is a story ultimately about love, struggle, and resistance, and its message will resonate with many.”
—Eric Lee, author of Operation Basalt, Night of the Bayonets, and How to Kill Hitler
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