We Were The Lucky Ones has been one of the most anticipated shows of the year. The historical drama on Hulu highlights the plight of Jews during World War II and tells the story of a Polish Jewish family who got separated during the Holocaust, but somehow survived the dark times and reunited years later.
One prominent character that is seen at the forefront is Halina Kurc, played by actress Joey King. Audiences who have watched the series must be curious to know about the real-life woman who inspired this character. So here is all you need to know who Halina Kurc was in real life.
Who was Halina Kurc in Real Life?
The character of Halina Kurc is based on a lady of the same name who survived the Holocaust. As seen in the show, Halina belonged to a Jewish family. She was born on April 17, 1917, in Radom, Poland to mother Nechuma Kurc, and father Szlama Kurc. She had five siblings: Eddy Courts, Genek Kurc, Mirla Kajler, Jack (Jakub) Kurc, and Cipora Kurc.
When Germany invaded Poland and seized Radom during World War II, Halina, as well as her siblings and parents, had to leave the city in search of a secure place. She miraculously survived the Holocaust and reunited with her family years later. Interestingly, her elder brother, Eddy Courts is the same man whose granddaughter, Georgia Hunter, wrote the novel We Were The Lucky Ones, on which the television series is based.
So, Halina was the grandaunt of Hunter. Eddy, on the other hand, is named Addy Kurc in the show and is played by actor Logan Lerman. Coming back to Halina, as seen in the series, she was actually in love with a man named Adam Eichenwald and got married to him in 1941, at the age of 23. After her wedding, her name became Halina Eichenwald.
After WWII, Halina and her husband reportedly shifted to Sao Paolo, Brazil. Adam passed away in 1973, after which Halina tied the knot with Salomon Lautenberg. She died at the age of 88 due to heart failure on May 06, 1998, in Sao Paolo, Brazil. During the launch of her novel in 2017, Hunter revealed that Halina’s grandson, named Alain, had thanked her for bringing her story out to the world.
“[Thank you] for answering so many questions I never dared to ask. Your rendering of [the Kurcs’] daily struggle for life brought tears to my eyes,” Alain told Hunter. In the series, Joey King has portrayed Halina and has embodied the character to perfection. Talking about what motivated her to join the project, the Bullet Train actress revealed that she felt a personal connection with the story as she is part-Jewish herself.
“Being able to explore a role that touches on my own ancestry, it’s very personal,” King said, adding that she also wants the current generation to know about the dark history of the Holocaust. “The younger generation, my generation — Gen Z — they don’t really know or care about the Holocaust,” the actress stated.
Also Read: 6 Shows like Hulu’s We Were the Lucky Ones That Showcase the Horrors of the Holocaust