How Grandson of Auschwitz Boss Is Trying to Remake Family Name

At Camp’s Anniversary, Rainer Hoess Will Repudiate Rudolf Hoess

WEIL DER STADT, Germany—When Auschwitz commemorates the 70th anniversary of its liberation on Jan. 27, the ceremonies will include an unlikely attendee: the grandson of the camp commandant who was held responsible for 1.1 million deaths there.

Rainer Hoess, 49 years old, has grappled with the curse of his bloodline since his teens. He has tattoos of a Star of David and of the Auschwitz numbers of several survivors he has met. He has walked the grounds of his grandfather’s villa, whose sumptuous gardens and pools were within...