Jack Cygelman grew up in a large Jewish family in Bialobrzegi, Poland, where poverty, tradition and community shaped his early years. Following the German invasion in 1939, violence escalated rapidly: Jews were beaten, homes burned and families driven into desperate conditions. After his father was murdered and the family forced into a ghetto, Jack (then only a boy) took great risks to find food for his mother and siblings. When the ghetto was liquidated, he went into hiding, only to be discovered and deported to the Radom munitions factory, Auschwitz, Vaihingen and other camps, where he endured exhaustion, brutality and constant threat.

By 1945, Jack was forced on a deadly march through freezing conditions, witnessing immense suffering. Liberation brought little comfort: he was alone, traumatised and physically weakened. Sent to England with other child survivors known as “The Boys,” Jack rebuilt his life with resilience, establishing a family and business in Manchester.

Jack’s book is part of the My Voice book collection, a stand-alone project of The Fed, the leading Jewish social care charity in Manchester, dedicated to preserving the life stories of Holocaust survivors and refugees from Nazi persecution who settled in the UK. The oral history, which is recorded and transcribed, captures their entire lives from before, during and after the war years. The books are written in the words of the survivor so that future generations can always hear their voice. The My Voice book collection is a valuable resource for Holocaust awareness and education.