Billy Joel opens up about his challenging past, revealing he couldn't attend school.
Billy Joel's recently released HBO documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, delves into a lesser-known aspect of the musician's life—the harrowing escape of his family from Nazi Germany during World War II.
Born and raised in Nuremberg, Germany, Billy Joel's father, Howard Joel (Helmut Joel), was a member of a prosperous Jewish family. His grandfather, Karl Joel, owned a successful textile and clothing factory. However, the family's prosperity was short-lived as Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, ushering in a new era of anti-Semitic persecution.
At the age of 10, Howard Joel witnessed the early stages of Nazi terror, including antisemitic speeches and SS parades. The trauma of these experiences was so profound that they forced him to abandon school.
As the persecution escalated, Karl Joel was forced to sell his factory for "pennies on the dollar" to escape Germany. The family's business was prosperous until the Nazis came to power, but it was ultimately seized under duress.
The family's escape from Germany was nothing short of miraculous. With forged passports, they crossed the border into Switzerland, narrowly avoiding detection and deportation. If their Jewish identity had been discovered, they would have been sent immediately to a concentration camp.
From Switzerland, the Joel family emigrated to Cuba in 1939 before eventually settling in the United States. Howard later served in the U.S. Army during World War II and was involved in liberating the Dachau concentration camp, an experience that haunted him throughout his life.
The documentary provides a deeply personal account of the Joel family's escape from Nazi Germany, revealing the harsh realities of their forced sale, narrow escape, and the complex relationship between Howard Joel and his identity in the aftermath of the Holocaust.
Throughout this turbulent period, the Joel family endured psychological trauma and displacement. Despite their German roots, they were proudly Jewish, a fact that became increasingly dangerous as the Nazis rose to power.
This harrowing chapter of the Joel family's history was only fully revealed to Billy Joel decades later, adding a new dimension to our understanding of the musician's life and music.
The Joel family's turbulent past, rooted in the sale of their prosperous textile and clothing factory in Germany, serves as a stark reminder of the loss of not only their business but also their homeland due to anti-Semitic persecution. In the entertainment industry, Billy Joel's music carries a silent melody of his family's struggle, intertwining the threads of his Jewish heritage with the realm of music and celebrities.
