Hero Honored: WWII Survivor Receives Flood of Gratitude, 400+ Thank You Cards

Harry Arlin-Arnstein, a 99-year-old Jewish concentration camp survivor and World War II veteran residing in Roslyn, recently received over 400 cards from schoolchildren in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. This overwhelming display of gratitude marks the successful culmination of an initiative to ensure Arlin-Arnstein's extraordinary life story is recognized in his native country, a narrative that had remained largely unknown there for decades.

Born in Brno, Czechoslovakia, Arlin-Arnstein's early life was marked by immense hardship and resilience. He and his family fled Czechoslovakia to Yugoslavia to escape the Nazis, only to be captured and interned at Fascist Italy's Ferramonti concentration camp from 1941 until its liberation by the British in 1943. According to Czech historian Jiri Kluc, this camp was more akin to the Japanese internment camps in the United States than the more infamous death or forced labor camps in Eastern Europe.

Upon regaining his freedom at the young age of 16, Arlin-Arnstein quickly contributed to the war effort. He served as an interpreter for the British military in Italy before transitioning to an armored vehicle driver in the Czechoslovak military, participating in the grueling siege of Dunkirk from October 1944 to May 1945.

Arlin-Arnstein's journey did not end with World War II. He subsequently fled communist Czechoslovakia and immigrated to the United States, where he later served in a photographic unit of the American military during the Korean War. Reflecting on his life, Arlin-Arnstein noted, "I lived under Hitler and I ran. And Mussolini put me in a pen as a prisoner. And then I ran again from [communism] and Stalin."

The effort to bring Arlin-Arnstein's story to light in his homeland was spearheaded by Jiri Kluc, a Czech historian. Kluc, who discovered Arlin-Arnstein's narrative during his research, described it as "extremely unique." He highlighted the rarity of finding a combination of a concentration camp survivor and a World War II veteran in one individual. Kluc initiated contact with schoolteachers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, who then incorporated Arlin-Arnstein's tale into their curriculum. The students, aged between 10 and 15, responded with profound appreciation, sending 424 letters of gratitude. Arlin-Arnstein expressed being "taken aback" by this "outpouring of love" that finally gave his story the recognition it deserved. One student eloquently wrote that his story was a reminder that "freedom is not free."

Beyond the schoolchildren's letters, Arlin-Arnstein's legacy is being further cemented. Kluc presented him with a memoir about his life, based on Arlin-Arnstein's own stories, and assured him that his story would remain alive in the Czech Republic. Official acknowledgment also came from the U.S. Embassy in the Czech Republic and from the mayors of three Czech towns: Brno, Nymburk, and Ostrava. Though Arlin-Arnstein expressed a wish to return to his old country, his current health prevents travel, but Kluc's dedication ensures his extraordinary journey will be preserved for future generations.