Grandson of Holocaust Survivor Preserves His Story Through Original Rock Musical 25044
Russell Kaback transforms his grandfather’s concentration camp number
into a deeply personal story of survival, identity and inherited memory
As firsthand accounts of the Holocaust become increasingly rare, musician and educator Russell Kaback is using music and storytelling to preserve his grandfather’s extraordinary story of survival and share its enduring message of resilience and hope. Beginning January 2027, 25044: A Holocaust Musical of Survival and Hope will be available for bookings nationwide.
Written and performed by Kaback, featuring an original score, the production tells the story of Szyjek Magier, a Polish Jew who survived four years in Nazi labor and concentration camps. Its title comes from the number assigned to Magier during his imprisonment, transforming a symbol intended to erase his identity into a vehicle for preserving it.
The creative catalyst for 25044 came in 2009, when Kaback accompanied his grandfather on the March of the Living through Poland, including the march at Auschwitz and a visit to Majdanek. While bearing witness at Majdanek, Kaback felt a profound responsibility to preserve his grandfather’s story and carry it forward through music.
“25044 was a number intended to reduce my grandfather to something less than human. This show is about seeing the person—the strength, resilience and remarkable story behind that number,” said Kaback. “When we make history personal, it stops being something that happened to other people in another time. I hope his story helps young people understand how individual choices can become part of something much larger, while reminding audiences of every generation of our capacity for resilience and hope. Ultimately, I hope it connects us to our own histories and gets all audience members thinking about how we choose to live and what we leave behind.”
Kaback has spent more than a decade researching, developing and presenting the story that has become 25044. Since its 2023 premiere, the evolving one man show production has been presented to nearly 100 audiences across the United States, Mexico and in Będzin, Poland, Magier’s hometown, reaching more than 5,000 people. The new production, launching in January 2027, will feature an original score and expanded theatrical elements that further bring Magier’s story to life.
Kaback has selected Broekman Communications as his representation of record to build on the show’s momentum, expand its national performance footprint, develop academic and educational partnerships, and pursue media appearances, speaking engagements and conversations focused on Holocaust memory, resilience and the responsibility of descendants to carry survivor stories forward.
The production is designed for general and performing arts audiences, as well as Jewish and interfaith communities, educators, college audiences, and middle and high school students. Its combination of live music, theater, family history and historical context offers audiences an accessible and deeply human connection to Holocaust history and the individual lives behind it.
In January 2027, 25044 will launch its West Coast tour on International Holocaust Remembrance Day at Holocaust Museum LA, the first survivor-founded and oldest Holocaust museum in the United States.
For booking information and more about Russell Kaback and 25044: A Holocaust Musical of Survival and Hope, visit 25044.com.
About Russell Kaback
Russell Kaback is a musician, composer, educator, and theatrical storyteller based in South Portland, Maine. He is the creator and performer of 25044, an original rock musical inspired by the experiences of his grandfather, Szyjek Magier, a Polish Jew who survived four years in Nazi labor and concentration camps during World War II. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience as a K–12 educator, Kaback brings a deep understanding of young audiences and community-centered engagement to every performance.
Since its 2023 premiere, 25044 has been delivered to nearly 100 audiences throughout the United States, Mexico, and in Będzin, Poland, Kaback’s grandfather’s hometown. The performance has reached over 5,000 people including students, educators, Jewish communities, performing arts audiences, and the general public.
Kaback’s broader work bringing his grandfather’s story to the stage has included performances throughout Maine and Massachusetts, an appearance in his grandfather’s hometown of Będzin, Poland, in 2018, the PortFringe festival in Portland, and an in-school residency presented by Portland Ovations. Russell Kaback’s work received the 2016 Joel and Linda Abromson Award and a 2018 Maine Arts Commission Project Grant supporting its presentation in schools. Kaback was also named Portland Ovations’ 2024–2025 School-Time Teaching Artist of the Year.
For more information about Kaback, visit 25044.com.
About Broekman Communications
Broekman Communications is a public relations and strategic communications firm specializing in media relations, brand visibility, Jewish community engagement, entertainment partnerships, and philanthropic storytelling. For more information, please visit www.broekmancomm.com/
Media Contact
Jeremy Broekman
Broekman Communications
jeremy@broekmancomm.com
818-212-9201
BroekmanComm.com
Russell Kaback is available for interviews, podcast appearances, events, workshops and performances.
