Judgment Day

When my grandfather, Mr. Lothar Kahn a”h, passed away at almost 102 a few months ago, I knew his story had to be told.

As the youngest son of Levi and Martha Kahn’s four children, he was nine years old when the Nazi party came to power in Germany. From his older brother being the very first murder victim of the Nazi takeover and his family’s own eventual flight from Germany, to his World War II induction into the US Army and his D-Day miracles on the beaches of Normandy as he returned to face the enemies of his people, his early life was a roller coaster of intrigue, suspense, danger, and a mega-dose of siyata d’Shmaya.

Years later, as Grandpa became a pillar of his Chicago Jewish community and a leader in the Agudah, he would often share his story with both family and in public forums — his gift for oratory always leaving his audience spellbound. And then one day, he actually wrote it down — leaving us a fascinating document of his early years.

His original intention was to put down some memoirs for his progeny, but it’s really a work that essentially belongs to all of Klal Yisrael — and as D-Day comes around again, 82 years later, it’s my great privilege to share it with you.