Bronislaw Erlich, one of the last remaining Holocaust survivors living in Switzerland and author of "Enfant juif de Varsovie", passed away on 16 August in Bern at the age of 102, according to announcements released on Saturday by the Gamaraal Foundation and his family.
Born in Warsaw, Poland, in 1923, Erlich lost his parents and younger brother during the Second World War, the Gamaraal Foundation confirmed. He survived the Holocaust by fleeing with the help of forged identity papers.
After the war, he lived in Poland and Israel before settling permanently in Bern, Switzerland. Erlich actively participated in educational and social initiatives, sharing his experiences with young people and local communities.
In a 2022 interview with 20 Minutes, he reflected on his experiences, saying, “Superficial wounds can heal, but psychological wounds cannot. I live with these wounds, and every Holocaust survivor will carry them until the end of their life.”
His story was published in 2007 in a book titled "Ein Überlebender berichtet" (A Survivor’s Account).
