Kai Höss, a Christian pastor based in Stuttgart, Germany, had his life changed in a seventh-grade history class in the 1970s. It was there that he learned the shocking truth about his grandfather, Rudolf Höss, a Nazi SS officer and Auschwitz commandant responsible for the deaths of 1.1 million people, mostly Jews.
Upon discovering this dark family secret, Kai felt ashamed and vowed to educate others about the Holocaust and support Jewish communities. He believes that the passage of time and a culture desensitized to violence have made it crucial to remind people of the atrocities committed during World War II.
Despite the turmoil within his own family, including a violent clash between his parents, Kai found solace in Christianity after a near-fatal illness. He now travels the world lecturing on the Holocaust and visiting synagogues to share his story of redemption.
In a recent HBO documentary titled “The Commandant’s Shadow,” Kai reunites with his father, Hans-Jürgen, who had remarried and moved to the Baltic Sea coast. The film details Rudolf’s crimes through his autobiography and shows Kai and his father meeting Auschwitz survivor Anita Lasker-Wallfisch and her daughter, Maya.
Anita, who survived Auschwitz as a member of the women’s orchestra, had her entire family exterminated in the camp. The emotional meeting between Kai, his father, and Anita highlighted the importance of acknowledging the truth and seeking reconciliation.
Despite the difficult past and the burden of his family name, Kai’s efforts to confront his family history and educate others have been commended by Holocaust experts. Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center praised Kai for stepping forward and leading a different life than his ancestors.
In a time marked by rising antisemitism and Holocaust denial, Kai’s commitment to ensuring that people truly understand the horrors of the past is more important than ever. By moving knowledge from the head to the heart, he hopes to inspire empathy and prevent history from repeating itself.
