From Auschwitz and Renault to Kiryat Sefer: The Unique Story of Dr. Ephraim Wasserfogel

Auschwitz Camp 1, April 1944. Significant commotion as a senior Nazi commander arrived at the camp. He convened an emergency meeting with the S.S command staff, the topic: liquidation of the camp for political prisoners. Germany was in the waning stages of their thousand-year Reich vision; maintaining such a large group was deemed unnecessary. Either death or release, decided the commander, asking: Who is the longest-held political prisoner here?

Poland, 1941. Miriam Veniger, a rare Jewish female lawyer who had the privilege of university education. An educated, opinionated, and intelligent woman who feared no one. Born to an enlightened family, she had a Christian nanny from whom she learned Christian customs and rituals, a fact that would later aid her in times of trouble. Yiddish was never spoken in her parental home, unlike most Jewish homes where it was the official language. The Germans attempted to identify undercover Jews through their Yiddish accent, even sophisticatedly testing them with the language to identify Jews. Miriam had a pre-war identity card that did not state she was Jewish. Her appearance and status allowed her to deceive the authorities.

She married Yosef Zimmer, a Jewish pianist and mathematician, the son of the Rabbi of Bialystok. Their marriage certificate read: Polish and Jew. Under Nazi rule, the meaning was clear – mixed couple. When the Nazis occupied Poland, Miriam and Yosef managed to hide in a safe apartment until a neighbor "updated" the Gestapo about a mixed couple living there.

The judgment was immediate. The Gestapo stormed the apartment, shot Yosef Zimmer to death in front of his wife's, Miriam's, widened eyes. The Germans thought she was Christian and sent her to prison, where she discovered she was pregnant. After numerous transitions, she ended up in Auschwitz 1, a prison for political prisoners. There, she gave birth to a son.

December 1943. The Germans knew about the baby. It remains unclear why they kept him alive. Miriam was daring, aware her baby's life was in constant danger. Life in the camp was unbearable for adults, let alone a newborn. No sustenance was available; she was malnourished, with meager rations not including the baby. Each day he survived was a miracle, considering the conditions and the Germans who temporarily left him be.

As an educated woman, she knew that vitamin D was essential for an infant. While food was scarce, the sun was beyond German control. She understood the threat to her son's life, yet chose to take him outside daily to catch the sparse European sunlight, often undressing him to ensure sun exposure, doing so confidently enough that even the Germans turned a blind eye.

We return to the beginning of the story: The commander went with his entourage to survey the camp and see the oldest prisoners. At that moment, Miriam was outside the building with her baby, unaware of what was about to unfold. The commander, unaccustomed to such sights, approached her with curiosity, looked at the baby, and at that moment, the baby opened his large blue ocean-like eyes and smiled at him. The German was captivated. "Take your things and leave here," he instructed her.

Miriam left through the gates, amazed by the miracle but aware she had to find shelter quickly. As long as the German machine functioned, her life and her son's were in danger. They endured many upheavals until the complete liberation of Poland by the Russians.

The baby was named François, later in his Jewish name: Ephraim Wasserfogel.

Senior Roles in Defense Industries

Dr. Ephraim Wasserfogel, an economist and mathematician, grew up far from Jewish religion. After the war, he and his mother moved to France, where at age 3, she introduced him to his "father" – Moshe Wasserfogel, whom she married post-war. Ephraim naturally accepted this. In those days, amidst chaos, bringing the child to the city hall was sufficient for identity registration.

François grew up to be a talented genius, holding very senior positions from a young age. He served as a French government envoy to Venezuela, became personal assistant to Pierre Dreyfus, President of Renault, in 1968, and joined the managerial team in 1969 at just 25 years old. Ephraim significantly contributed to the development of the Renault 5 car, was responsible for Renault's racing team, and in 1977 left Renault to become Vice President of Battal – integrating high-tech and the automotive industry. In 1986 he was appointed head of the automotive department at Usinor, a large steel supplier globally. Then he returned to his faith and immigrated to Israel, maintaining strict adherence to the law, studying half-day in a Kollel in Kiryat Sefer, and yes, still serving in very senior roles in defense industries.

What was François Wasserfogel's childhood like?

"I always knew I was Jewish, but didn't know the significance. I grew up in a house far from any Jewish symbol. Not even a circumcision. I didn't encounter antisemitism either. I knew I was born during the war and nothing more. My mother kept silent over the years. The only thing she mentioned was: "Whatever you hear, it was a million times worse." I grew up knowing I was Moshe Wasserfogel's son."

When did you discover you were born to another father?

"As I matured, I began to understand more. Things didn't add up; I made calculations; the formulas were simple... I realized that Moshe was not my biological father, that I was born during the war, which didn’t fit with his background. In 1971, I was at work at Renault when I received a call informing me of Moshe's passing. I rushed to the hospital, met my mother, and said to her: "He was so good to me – even though he wasn't my father." My mother was shocked. She gasped: "What, how do you know?" She couldn't believe I had already discovered it."

Since then, the truth emerged. Later, his mother gave him his biological father's picture. He was practically his twin.

How does a scientist, in very senior roles, suddenly change his life and return to religion?

"I didn't return to faith suddenly, or through some fantastic or mystical revelation," emphasizes Ephraim. "The process was slow and gradual, step by step, learning lessons and thus progressing. The process started entirely because of my wife – Batya. Unlike me, she grew up in a home with a spark of tradition; Judaism wasn't foreign to her. In 1985, I worked at Battal. For that purpose, we moved to Switzerland, where my wife was exposed to Jewish lessons. Initially, she asked me to buy her two different-colored service sets. I didn't attach any importance to it – thought she wanted a new collection. Even when she covered her head with a scarf outside, citing ear pain, I didn’t question it. When I wanted cheese after a meat meal, she was adamant, telling me it was strictly unhealthy.

"Thus, a home process occurred without my knowledge; my wife shared nothing with me, fearing I wouldn't understand. When I realized what was happening – it was already 'too late,' Batya was quite decisive and strong in her path. I understood there weren't many options left for me, either I was with her, or not.

"I went to the study hall, where I saw about a hundred young men shouting and vehemently arguing. Their voices grated on me, and I was sure they were fighting. It didn't suit me; I wanted to go home immediately. At that moment, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see a man with a dignified face, a long beard, and a radiant smile, asking me if I was looking for something; I said yes, the exit. Then I noticed the vast library with thousands of books. It sparked my curiosity. If there’s one thing antisemites repeatedly mention, it’s the Jewish books. I wanted to know what they contained.

"We went to the rabbi's office. There, he opened a Talmud, in Tractate Berachot (Chapter 9, 59), discussing Abaye's words, that every 28 years, on Wednesday, the entire solar system, Earth, Sun, Moon, and all celestial bodies return to precisely the same place. As a scientist, this contradicted all scientific theory based on Kepler’s laws. On that page of the Talmud, there was a newspaper clipping about a Jewish community in the U.S. In 1924, they asked Edwin Powell Hubble, one of the greatest astronomers, to chart a precise diagram of celestial bodies. Edwin accepted the challenge and created the diagram. After 28 years, in 1952, they approached one of his successors with the same request. The result was impressive – the diagrams matched perfectly.

"It was shocking for me. Suddenly comes a 'worn-out' Talmud from 2000 years ago, contradicting science with solid evidence."

No Conflict Between Torah and Science

We enter the known conflict: Torah and Science. How do you reconcile the differences?

"I never had a conflict between science and Torah," surprises Dr. Wasserfogel. "Something in my mind always awaited this spirituality to fill it. There was an empty space. Only when I met the Torah, did I discover it."

In 1996, Dr. Wasserfogel immigrated to Israel. Initially, he lived in Ra'anana, working by day and studying in a Kollel at night. Later, he moved to Bnei Brak. At that time, he undertook to reverse the routine. He worked with Bank Hapoalim, decided to change his schedule - studying in the Kollel in Kiryat Sefer in the morning and working in the afternoon.

"I work with companies like the Israel Aerospace Industry. When I arrived in my black attire, they were astonished, questioning what a charedi was doing there? There are people from the Technion and others with exceptional intelligence quotients. They couldn't believe intelligent charedim exist... Today, thanks to Hashem, several kippa wearers circulate there, but back then, it was difficult for them to grasp that one could be both a charedi and an intellectual - a scientist."

"I experienced a story firsthand. When Israel launched its first satellite – AMOS. They invited NASA representatives to Israel. When the NASA officer arrived at the control room, he was surprised by the calm atmosphere. He turned to the IAI head and asked in astonishment: 'In our country, pre-launch tension and alertness are high, here everyone is serene and calm. Tell me, what's your secret?' The IAI head called the head of computations. Into the room came a Hasid, with sidecurls, a U.S.-born. The NASA representative repeated his question, wanting an explanation for the phenomenon first observed in Israel. The Hasid answered with one word: 'Rambam.' It's all there.

"I have many such stories, plenty. Every Thursday, the Kiryat Sefer Kollel head allows students to ask me scientific questions related to the material learned. I always tell them: If my answer aligns with the Torah – it means I'm a good enough scientist, if I state something contradictory – you're not listening. I'm wrong. So far, I haven’t erred...

"It's essential to understand that science is built on theories. When unaware, one constructs a theory, essentially a composition of logical elements. It's science's foundation. One can always prove otherwise. For example, consider the dating of archaeological and geological findings: today, the most common and accurate method science offers is carbon dating using the isotope Carbon-14. Every living organism or mineral contains Carbon-14, which decreases over time. Science estimates the age of findings by measuring remaining Carbon-14. Yet no scientific law describing the rate of Carbon-14 decay over time has been found. Therefore, it remains theoretical. There are other absurd theories – like Darwin’s. As he refused to acknowledge Hashem's existence in the world – he decided that man comes from the ape."

What’s your opinion on the world’s age theories?

"The Big Bang – even rabbis argue it doesn't contradict the Torah. There was a void – one could say it was the 'big bang', with immense energy released. In 'Kontres' – a Jewish magazine in French, they once cited a Professor from MIT in the U.S. claiming that it's possible to reconcile the Bible with science – with the Big Bang theory. He provided an example supporting his claim. When the Big Bang occurred, there was a green man at its center with a clock, and a white man riding the part that ejected at the speed of light; while the green man's clock rotated regularly, the white man's clock raced – lagging, according to Einstein’s theory. This professor asserts that the green man's clock reads 5779, while the white man's reads 13.5 billion years.

"This is another interesting perspective where one can see that the Torah includes all the world's teachings. Ultimately – science is entirely theory-based. It’s its core reliance, and we have the eternal Torah as the foundation of the entire world."

Special thanks to Sophie Feldman for her assistance in bringing and translating this story.