WhatsappHenry Winkler never had grandparents – they were all “taken” by the war. That generally means that they were killed in the Holocaust.
Henry never had “real” aunts and uncles. His Dad hid his Grandma’s jewelry in chocolate, and came as a complete immigrant to US shores with basically nothing.
Henry Winkler – The Fonz
Henry was a house-hold name for so many, known as “The Fonz” on Happy Days. The full name he went by on the TV sitcom was Arthur Fonzarelli. What is less known about him is that he is a child of 2 Jewish immigrant parents from World War II. His parents immigrated from Berlin, Germany in 1939, right before World War II began. That decision most definitely saved their lives.
Franklin Roosevelt & The Holocaust
Interestingly, Henry Winkler’s middle name is Franklin – in honor of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This phenomenon is quite fascinating.
Many Jewish immigrants around World War II looked at President Roosevelt with enormous awe. He is often credited with saving the economy of the United States from the depression in the 30’s. Also, Roosevelt clearly led the Allies to victory in World War II along with the British and Russian Empires. These are 2 monumental fetes.
But, alot of controversy surrounds Roosevelt’s role during World War II vis-a-vis the Holocaust. There are those who blame Roosevelt and the State Department for turning a blind eye to the German atrocities against the Jewish people. Yet others say that he properly kept his eye on the ball and focused on ending the war and nothing else.
Either way, seeing the Fonz open up about his family is surely a powerful image to watch.
