Lewy was born in Breslau , Germany , ( now Wrocław , Poland ) in 1923 . At the age of nine he joined a German-Jewish scouts organization called '' Die Greifen '' ( lit . " the griffins " ) , which he has suggested was important in shaping his desire for an academic career . Described by Lewy as a " quasi-Romantic " group , '' Die Greifen '' emphasized music , literature , and song , particularly '' Landsknechtlieder '' , encouraging the youths to avoid becoming " Spiessbürger " ( " philistines " ) . By 1938 , as persecution of Jews in Germany increased , Lewy began to lobby his family to leave Germany behind . After '' Kristallnacht '' , in November 1938 , when his father was interned in Buchenwald for four months and he was beaten , his parents sent him to Mandatory Palestine . Later in the war , when Lewy was of fighting age , he voluntarily took up arms against Germany , serving in the Jewish Brigade
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht
Guenter Lewy