Surrounded by family, friends, and a massive cake, Holocaust survivor R’ Berysz Aurbach celebrated his 104th birthday in Caulfield, Australia on Sunday. With the words “Happy 104th Birthday” inscribed in Hebrew on the cake, the celebration marked a milestone in the life of a man who survived the horrors of the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II and who is world-famous for annually davening for the amud on the yahrtzeit of his mother, who was niftar more than 100 years ago. Guests gathered at R’ Berysz’s home on Sunday to make a l’chaim while sipping whisky and enjoying a spread of sponge cakes, biscuits, and pastries. R’ Berysz, who officially turned 104 on Shabbos, has much to be thankful for, including his three children, four grandchildren, and the loving family surrounding him. More than 80 years ago, he was one of the few who survived the brutal conditions of the Warsaw Ghetto in Nazi-occupied Poland. Reflecting on the past, R’ Berysz spoke of his brother, Mordechai hy”d, who he credits with saving his life multiple times. Mordechai, who was part of the anti-Nazi underground resistance, helped Berysz escape the ghetto by providing him with a fake ID and a Polish police uniform. “Mordechai saved my life. Of course, he is my hero,” he said, his voice filled with emotion. He vividly recalled the fires that consumed the ghetto during the April 1943 uprising, which claimed the lives of their father, oldest brother Leibel, a sister-in-law, and her two children. “I still see the fire in my eyes,” he said, haunted by the memory. Mordechai’s bravery, however, cost him his life. Posing as a gentile, he was captured by the Gestapo. Mordechai was shot and killed. “If not for Mordechai, I would have burned in the [ghetto] fire or burned in the ovens [in concentration camps],” R’ Berysz said. “For much of my life, I thought of him, wherever I was.” After escaping the ghetto, Berysz spent the remainder of the war in underground safe houses, constantly living in fear of being discovered by the Germans. “If the Germans had found me, they would have shot me on the spot. Like my brother,” he said. Berysz migrated to Melbourne in 1947, where he built a successful knitting business. In 1955, he met his late wife, Tova, in Israel. The couple had a long and happy marriage before Tova passed away from cancer 12 years ago. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)