However, things changed rapidly in 1938 after Germany signed a peace treaty with Hungary and the Hungarians took over the administration of the area, under German orders.
He escaped from the ghetto but was captured and taken to Kraków-Plaszów concentration camp where he worked hard as a forced labourer doing many different jobs.
Towards the end of 1944, as the Soviet troops approached Balkenhain, Josef and the remaining prisoners, about 5,000 of them, were sent on a death march to move them further into Germany, away from the advancing armies.
After the war Josef lived in the south of England with his wife Sylvia until his death in September 2018, aged 88 years.
He regularly spoke to students and groups about his experiences, until his retirement in 2009, in the hope that the younger generation will make a difference to the future.