Julius Maslovat was born Yidele Henechowicz. His family was part of the large Jewish community in Piotrków Trybunalski (also known as Petrikau in German). After the Wehrmacht invaded, the Germans established one of the first ghettos in occupied Poland in Piotrków Trybunalski. This is where Julius Maslovat was born. He lost his parents and many of his relatives in concentration and extermination camps.
As the Red Army was advancing, the Germans deported him to Buchenwald in December 1944 when he was just a toddler. After a few weeks in Children’s Block 66 of the camp, he was sent to Bergen-Belsen, where he was taken into the care of two female prisoners who looked after orphans in the camp. The British Army liberated Bergen-Belsen on 15 April 1945.
Julius Maslovat was taken on a Red Cross transport to Sweden in 1945. He was adopted there by a Finnish family with the surname Maslovat. He attended school and university in Great Britain. In 1966, he emigrated to Canada. He has shared his experiences as an eyewitness for decades.
