Michael Weiss, a Holocaust survivor, passed away last week. The internment was held at Rodef Sholom Cemetery in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey.

He was originally from Budapest, Hungary, where he was one of two sons born to Sarah and David Weiss. His father earned a living as a steel worker while his mother worked in the home as a housewife.

Michael was just a little boy when he was first affected by the Holocaust; in 1942, his father was taken away. Then his mother was taken to Auschwitz, but managed to run away from the camp three times. As a young boy Michael witnessed the murder of both of his grandparents, the rape and murder of women in the streets, and the rail transport of victims to Auschwitz-Birkenau. During the war, Michael was in an orphanage but ran away with his brother, Charles, when he was six years old to avoid being sent to Auschwitz. Through his actions, Michael saved not only his own life, but also that of his brother; Weiss recalls, “I ran as far as I could with my brother.”

Michael Weiss was liberated in Hungary by the Russians, and he migrated to Israel in 1948. Michael immigrated to the United States in 1961, settling in Brooklyn, New York, where he made his living as a cabinet maker. Michael Weiss met his wife, Erika, in New York, and they married in 1996. Michael and Erika had retired to Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Michael Weiss is survived by his wife, Erica, a stepdaughter and two grandchildren.