Josh Gortler
1936-
“There’s a time to think, and there’s a time to talk. And I feel that now is the time to talk and retell these stories for the future generations to come. Because, if we don’t learn from the past, we will make the same mistakes in the future.” – Josh Gortler
Josh was born in Tomaszow, Poland in 1936, where his family had lived for almost a century. When the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, his family was incarcerated in the Ghetto. They made their way to Siberia and Uzbekistan, where life was incredibly harsh but not as dangerous for Jews. After liberation, Josh and his family found refuge in a displaced persons (DP) camp in Berlin.
In 1951, the Gortlers came to America, and Josh arrived with no formal education or English skills. He persevered, graduating from a Jewish high school before earning Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Social Work. Josh then moved to Seattle and worked at the Kline Galland Jewish nursing home for almost 50 years. He began telling his story when his grandchildren asked what happened to him during the Holocaust, and he is now an active member of the Holocaust Center for Humanity’s Speakers Bureau and Board of Directors. In 2014 Josh was honored by Yeshiva University with a doctoral degree for his leadership in elder care in Seattle and on a national level.
Video Testimony – Josh Gortler
Last Time He Saw His Grandfather
Escape from Poland to Siberia
People Who Survived the War
Displaced Persons Camp
Poem
Full Testimony (2009)
Photo Gallery – Josh Gortler
J. Gortler Gallery 1
Josh and group in Berlin, 1946.
J. Gortler Gallery 2
Josh (third from left) in a DP camp in Berlin, 1947.
J. Gortler Gallery 3
Morris (front) and Josh. Berlin, Germany 1947.
J. Gortler Gallery 4
Josh (seated between his parents) and his brother (above Josh). Foehrenwald, Germany 1948.
J. Gortler Gallery 5
Josh (standing in the middle) in Berlin, 1947.
J. Gortler Gallery 6
Josh, marching and blowing the Shofar in favor of a Jewish home. Palestine, 1948.
J. Gortler Gallery 7
Josh with a group of boys training to go to Palestine and help with the creation of the new State of Israel, 1948.
J. Gortler Gallery 8
Josh with Robert Kennedy, 1968.
J. Gortler Gallery 9
Josh at Spanaway Lake High School, 2014.
J. Gortler Gallery 10
Josh, 2014.
