Born in 1922 in Kowal, Poland, Joseph grew up in a comfortable and stable environment with his family in Blonie. This peaceful life was shattered in 1939 when the Nazis invaded Poland. In late 1940, the German military forcibly relocated Blonie's Jewish residents to the Warsaw Ghetto. Joseph’s father managed to bribe guards, allowing Joseph and two of his siblings to escape back to Kowal. It was the last time he saw the rest of his family. From there, Joseph was sent to twelve different concentration camps, including Dachau and Auschwitz-Birkenau. After the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, he was sent back to the Ghetto to clean up the destruction, and as the Polish Home Army advanced toward Warsaw, the Nazis transported him to various camps in Germany before forcing him on a death march.

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Throughout his captivity, Joseph endured forced labor under threat of death, facing brutal conditions of starvation and exposure. He was made to build dams, sewers, an airport, and lay railroad tracks and cobblestone streets. He suffered severe health problems, including blood poisoning, skin diseases, and typhus, while hiding for days behind brick piles in the ruins of the Warsaw Ghetto. In 1945, American troops liberated him.

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After the war, Joseph immigrated to the United States in 1949. He married, had two children, and continued his work as a tailor in Los Angeles. Over the years, he became a leading voice for Holocaust remembrance, dedicating his life to sharing his experiences and ensuring that the horrors he endured would not be forgotten.