Aviva Gat

For the Shwartz family, survival was the only option. Their will to live, and a bit a luck, kept the family safe during the Holocaust, bringing them across Eastern Europe all the way to Israel.

In 1937, the Shwartz family lived a calm life in their small village in Poland. Fifteen-year-old Rachel liked to sing and go out dancing at a local night club, while her older brother David was busy running a farm and raising a family with his wife Hinda. But all that changed when the war reached Butla.

First, the Russians came and kicked them out of their house. Then, the Nazis came to cart them off. But the Shwartz family resisted. David decided that no matter what, his family would not be taken captive. Instead, he snuck his family out of their village, through a large forest, and into Hungary, a place that was supposed to be safe. But that didn't last long. Again the Shwartz family found themselves on the run, escaping prison, Nazis, and bombings.

My Family's Survival is the incredible true story of how the Shwartz family survived the Holocaust. It is a powerful tale of one family's triumph during history's darkest moments.