In all honesty the title of this blog is likely to be incorrect, but it is an intriguing title nonetheless. Ben Ali Libi was the stage name of the Dutch Jewish magician Michel Velleman Michel Velleman (5 January 1895 – 2 July 1943). I didn’t want to post this blog so soon after my last one but I believe it is an important story that needs to be told.

The reason why the title is intriguing is because although there is quite a bit documented about this man there is still little known about his life and especially his time in Sobibor.

But in here lies the power of his story. For the Nazi’s he was just a statistic, a number a creature not even fit enough to eat Adolf Hitler’s dog Blondi’s food. A subhuman as they called him. However he wasn’t a statistic or a number but a human being of flesh and blood just like you and me.