WEST RIDGE — After 60 years serving Chicago's North Side, Ben "The Barber" Scheinkopf's California Avenue barber shop has closed.
A sign on the door signed by "Benny the Barber," a 96-year-old Holocaust survivor who cut hair at the Auschwitz and Mauthausen concentration camps and for American soldiers in Germany before coming to the U.S., thanked customers and "neighborhood friends" for their decades of patronage.
"Due to recent major health challenges, I can no longer continue business as I have done for over 60 years in the location of Touhy and California," Scheinkopf wrote. "As you can imagine, just getting to the shop and the general physical nature of my work makes it too challenging, even for a youthful person of almost 97 years of age!
"I have been fortunate to have had a marvelous, long career giving hair cuts to generations of customers who have become my friends. I have also made many friends with people in the neighborhood who have always waved hello, stopped in just to say hi, or to check on my well-being. I would like to say a heartfelt thank-you to everyone for your concern and best wishes for my continued health."
Scheinkopf wasn't at his Far North Side home Friday morning, but neighbor George Milkowski, who has called Scheinkopf his barber since 1979, said the barber told him the "only reason" he survived World War II was because of his skill in cutting hair.
Nazis gave him extra rations and "didn't beat me too roughly," Milkowski said he "distinctly remembers" Scheinkopf telling him a few years ago after he began to open up more about his experiences.
"I was really taken aback by that," Milkowski said. "If you knew him, having seen the guy, and having gone through what he did, you wouldn't believe this guy could have such an optimistic outlook."
Milkowski, a retired public schools social studies teacher, said he himself was unaware of Scheinkopf's past until one summer he noticed a tattoo on the barber's arm that began "KLA" followed by a number.
He said he didn't ask him about the tattoo at the time, but later brought it up and over the years, Scheinkopf began to talk more about growing up in Poland before a German invasion that forced local Jews into ghettos.
After being shipped to Auschwitz, Milkowski said Scheinkopf told him he cut hair for German soldiers and as the war waged on and U.S. forces began closing in, Nazis sent the remaining prisoners to another camp before they were ultimately liberated.
A profile of Scheinkopf by another former customer, Barth Landor, noted Scheinkopf, stranded in Germany, eventually wandered onto an American base and began cutting hair for U.S. soldiers.
Not long after, the barber made his way to Chicago where he's cut hair ever since.
Read the Scheinkopf's full letter to the neighborhood below:
"A note to all of my customers and neighborhood friends,
It is with great regret that I must announce my retirement from Ben's Barber Shop. Due to recent major health challenges, I can no longer continue business as I have done for over 60 years in the location of Touhy and California. As you can imagine, just getting to the shop and the general physical nature of my work makes it too challenging, even for a youthful person of almost 97 years of age!
I have been fortunate to have had a marvelous, long career giving hair cuts to generations of customers who have become my friends. I have also made many friends with people in the neighborhood who have always waved hello, stopped in just to say hi, or to check on my well-being. I would like to say a heartfelt thank-you to everyone for your concern and best wishes for my continued health.
It has been my distinct pleasure to serve and be part of the community for so many years. I will miss you all and I will not forget you. I just also say thank you to the folks at McKellin's who have always looked in on me, treated me fairly and with respect. I appreciate having been your long standing tenant and the relationship that we have had.
So, I will now cheer the Cubs on to the World Series, spend more time with my family and grandchildren and continue to tell them stories of my long years working with such nice people. Once again, thank you and I send my best wishes to all for continued health and happiness!
Benny the Barber"
The note Scheinkopf left for his patrons, thanking them for their decades of support. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
Scheinkopf said he would be watching and waiting for the Cubs to "win the World Series" in his retirement. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
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