Holocaust survivor turns 100 and shares his story

TROY, Mich. – A man who survived the Holocaust is turning 100 years old Thursday.

He’s ready to celebrate his birthday at the American House in Troy, but he also wants to make sure no one ever forgets that dark time in world history that tore his family apart.

His mind is sharp and his memory is clear. He shares his story with anyone who will listen.

Wolf Gruca was a 19-year-old in Poland when his family was rounded up by Nazi’s and the life he knew was stolen from him. When he was forced onto a box car he had a mother, father, three brothers and two sisters. He was a young tool maker and he was forced into labor camps. The rest of his family, except for one brother, did not survive.

Watch the video above for the full report.


About the Authors:

Paula Tutman is an Emmy award-winning journalist who came to Local 4 in 1992. She's married and the stepmother of three beautiful and brilliant daughters. Her personal philosophy in life, love and community is, "Do as much as you can possibly do, not as little as you can possibly get away with".

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.