The Mascot

Instructed never to reveal his Jewish identity and indoctrinated with a new past and name, Alex lived as a young Nazi. At the age of five in a village in Belarus, he escaped a massacre and was found hiding in the forest by the Nazi soldiers. He faced execution, but in an astounding turn of events a soldier saved his life. He was then cared for by the soldiers and adopted as their good luck charm!
As a celebrated mascot of the frontline troops, complete with uniform and machine gun, he appeared in propaganda newsreels of the time. Eventually in 1949 Alex made his way to Australia to begin a new life and for nearly 50 years lived with the secret he did not reveal even to his wife and children. Then a series of remarkable events served as a catalyst to prompt him to search for his real identity.