Harry Kamel is a proud centenarian, who shows no signs of slowing down. “I will be 101 on July 1 st ,” said Harry. “I’m busy all the time. Maybe after I finish writing my second book, I will take it easy. But there’s still so many things that interest me.”

Harry Kamel was born Chaim Kamelmater in Rozyszcze, a small town in Valhynia, Eastern Poland on July 1, 1922. “Our family of seven lived there very happily until 1939, when Nazi Germany attacked Poland,” said Harry. “Our area became part of the Ukraine. I went to a Ukrainian high school where the language was Russian. When Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, I was afraid to remain with my family for fear the Germans would think I was a communist, as I attended a communist high school. Seven of my friends and I clambered aboard a train in Maniewicze bound for the Soviet Union. My family ultimately perished at the hands of Nazi and Ukrainian collaborators — Awrum, my father, Leah, my mother, Symcha Wolf, my brother, Chana, my sister, and Motl and Mendl, my twin brothers. I survived the war in Uzbekistan, one of the Soviet Republics. I fought in the Red Army in the 370 Infantry Division. After the war, I spent 5 years in DP (Displaced Persons) camps in the Germany US Zone, supported by UNRRA (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration). The Jewish organization ORT (Organization for Rehabilitation through Training) taught campers a trade. I learned electronics, fixing radios and the first televisions. The knowledge served me well when I finally emigrated to the United States, in 1951. I got a job fixing car radios, and two years later I was in business for myself. I put myself through night school to finish high school and get a college degree. It took me 17 years to get my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, but I finally became an industrial arts teacher in the Bronx. I taught students how to work with wood, metal, and clay, and how to fix car engines. And it all started in the DP camps.”