As a teenage German-Jewish refugee, Franz Auerbach supplemented his family's income by teaching. Over the next 65 years, as a dedicated educator and prolific commentator and lecturer, he sometimes faced official and professional hostility. His life story leads from vulnerable refugee status to leader and active member in various organisations concerned with education, race relations, Holocaust commemoration and current Jewish and interfaith issues. The narrative traces the course of the struggle and eventual transformation of education in South Africa. It also testifies to Auerbach's deep dedication to fairness and justice and to challenging bigotry, at the same time telling his family's own story in a turbulent and fascinating time.