William Herskovic William Herskovic ( June 1914 - March 3 , 2006 ) was a Holocaust survivor and humanitarian . His escape from Auschwitz in 1942 and early eyewitness testimony inspired Belgium ' s opposition to Nazi Germany during World War II , and alerted the Resistance to the atrocities that were taking place in the concentration camps . Because of Herskovic ' s escape and testimony , hundreds of lives were saved . Herskovic is also the founder of Bel Air Camera , a veritable landmark in Los Angeles , which he established in 1957 , and has received numerable awards for his philanthropy . Early life . Herskovic was born in June 1914 in what was then Hungary . His mother died when he was only 6 months old , and his father had many children by a second wife , so he was raised mainly by his maternal grandparents . Herskovic , who spoke 9 languages , dropped out of school at the age of 13 in order to take his brother ' s place as a photographer ' s apprentice . By the age of 15 he was running photo studios across Czechoslovakia and winning awards as an artist for his skill in photographic retouching . By the age of 17 , he had started his own photo studio , Studio Willy , that quickly gained fame across Belgium . He married his first wife , Esther , and they had two girls — Giselle ( Katie ) Herskovic , born in 1938 , and Germaine Herskovic , born in 1941 . Holocaust experiences . Herskovic ' s businesses were confiscated by the Germans and he , his wife and their two baby girls were sent to a concentration camp . All though he wouldn ' t find out until a long time later , his wife and two daughters were killed in a gas chamber almost immediately upon their arrival . Herskovic was sent to an Auschwitz hard labor camp where he wasn ' t expected to live long on about 130 calories a day . Herskovic set about planning an escape , and on the first night of Hanukkah , 1942 , Herskovic and two others dug a pair of wire cutters out from beneath layers of snow where they had hidden them , and cut through chain - link fences during a blizzard . The three ran through the snow for hours towards freedom . Herskovic then warned the Belgian underground of what was going on in the camps . " Do not go peacefully , they are killing us by the hundreds , " he is quoted as saying in " Escape to Life : A Journey Through the Holocaust " , his biography . The resistance quickly mobilized , stopping a transport train and rescuing hundreds bound for the camps . " His survival saved hundreds , " according to a Simon Wiesenthal Center tribute . Herskovic then went undercover , carefully crafting false papers and getting a job camouflaging the beaches of Normandy , where he was in fact observing military installations and drawing sketches to send back to the resistance . After the war . Herskovic , discovering that his wife and children had been killed , asked his first wife ' s younger sister , Maria , for her hand in marriage ( her husband had also been killed in the Holocaust ) . She accepted . They had three children , all girls , and moved to America . In Los Angeles , Herskovic founded Bel Air Camera in 1957 in Westwood Village , which is still a family - owned business to this day . From the moment he immigrated to the U . S . with his wife , Mireille , they began their heartfelt dedication to philanthropy , contributing to communities whenever possible . With an understandable commitment to his history , he was a founding supporter of the U . S . Holocaust Museum in Washington , D . C . where a plaque proudly commemorates , and hopefully puts to rest , all the beloved family he lost who were never given the benefit of gravestones . He was also dedicated to the Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance in hopes , “ that education and awareness will prevent prejudice and hatred in the future . ” Additionally , he and his wife have been loyal supporters of numerous organizations including : UJF , ADL , Friends of Sheba Medical Center , Friends of Israel Disabled Veterans , Technion , UCLA ’ s Hillel , Milken Community High School , Stephen S . Wise Temple , The Jesters ( a charity helping blind children ) , Israel Cancer Research Fund , and others . Awards . Throughout his life , Herskovic received numerous awards for his heroic and philanthropic work . Most recently , he was given the Humanitarian Award by the Israel Cancer Research Fund . Death . William Herskovic died on March 3 , 2006 at his home in Encino , CA after a long battle with prostate cancer . He was 91 . Herskovic is survived by his wife , Maria , their three children , four grandchildren and great - grandchild .