A Child Without A Shadow Is Professor Shaul Harel’s Holocaust Memoir, And A Journey From Trauma To Triumph

On The Table Read Magazine, “the best arts and entertainment magazine UK“, in his powerful memoir A Child Without a Shadow, Professor Shaul Harel recounts his extraordinary journey from a five-year-old Holocaust survivor hidden from the Nazis and stripped of his identity to a world-renowned expert in paediatric neurology, offering an inspiring story of survival, resilience, and ultimate triumph over unimaginable trauma.

Professor Shaul Harel’s life traces an extraordinary path from the depths of Holocaust survival to the heights of global achievement in paediatric neurology and child development. Once a young boy stripped of his family, name, and identity, he overcame profound trauma to build a legacy dedicated to healing children and advancing medical understanding of the developing brain.

The Hidden Child

Born in 1937 as Charlie Hilsberg to Polish Jewish immigrants in Belgium, his childhood was shattered in 1942 when he was just five years old. As Nazi deportation trains rolled toward Auschwitz, members of the Belgian Resistance and the Committee for the Defence of Jews placed him into hiding. Given the new identity of Charles van Bergen, he was moved between safe houses in Belgium and France, separated from his parents and siblings, who were murdered in Auschwitz—his father and brothers perishing during medical experiments.

This period of concealment erased much of his early identity. The boy who would later be known as a child without a shadow lived with strangers, navigated orphanages, and carried the invisible weight of loss while his past gradually faded from conscious memory.

A New Beginning in Israel

In 1949, at age twelve, Charlie Hilsberg immigrated to the young state of Israel through the youth movement Aliyat Ha’Noar. The transition brought new challenges as he worked to integrate into a developing nation still fighting for its existence. During his military service, he suffered a serious injury, yet this did not deter him from pursuing higher education and a meaningful career.

He chose to study medicine, graduating from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1966. Between 1971 and 1975, he completed advanced training in paediatric neurology and child development as a fellow at UCLA and USC in the United States. This foundation launched a distinguished career focused on helping children facing neurological and developmental difficulties.

Rising to Global Prominence in Paediatric Neurology

Professor Harel’s professional accomplishments are remarkable. In 1993, he was appointed full professor at Tel Aviv University’s School of Medicine. He co-founded the Israeli Child Neurology Association and served as its president for several terms. He later became president of the International Child Neurology Association, influencing standards of care and research worldwide.

His contributions earned numerous awards and recognitions, including the prestigious honorary distinction of “Officer of the Order of Leopold” from the Belgian government in 2016. Through decades of clinical work, teaching, and research, Professor Harel has helped countless children and families, turning his own early experiences of vulnerability into a lifelong commitment to paediatric wellbeing.

Confronting the Past

For much of his adult life, the full details of his family’s fate remained buried. It was only after a visit to Auschwitz in 2003, when he learned the precise circumstances of his father’s and brothers’ deaths, that Professor Harel began to actively explore his hidden history. In his sixties, he immersed himself in the story of his survival as a “hidden child.”

He became a dedicated commemorator of the Holocaust and the courageous efforts of the Belgian Resistance. In 2007, he organized the Hidden Children Convention in Belgium, where he met Andrée Geulen, one of the brave rescuers. He produced the documentary film Children Without a Shadow, which chronicles his personal journey, immigration to Israel, and path into medicine. Later, working with his wife, he authored the book A Child Without a Shadow, which has been translated into French, sharing his experiences with wider audiences.

A Universal Message of Hope

Professor Harel’s story demonstrates that even the deepest trauma can be confronted and transformed. His fusion of lived experience as a survivor with professional expertise in child neurology offers unique insights into the long-term effects of childhood trauma and pathways toward resilience and recovery.

Through his memoir, he conveys a powerful message of survival, optimism, and hope—emphasizing that light can emerge even after profound darkness. His life stands as testimony to the possibility of building success, purpose, and healing against overwhelming odds.

From a five-year-old boy hidden from the horrors of Auschwitz to a world-renowned expert shaping the future of paediatric care, Professor Shaul Harel’s journey remains an inspiring reminder of human resilience and the enduring power of reclaiming one’s identity.

Find more from Prof. Shaul Harel now:

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