A Lancaster County man is asking for forgiveness after admitting he lied about being a holocaust survivor and having escaped from Auschwitz.

Joseph Hirt, 91, of Adamstown, wrote a letter to LancasterOnline in which he says he lied in a misguided attempt to bring attention to the plight of holocaust survivors.

Joseph Hirt was born in Poland and has long claimed he was taken prisoner by the Nazis in 1941 in Belgrade. Now, a historian and members of Hirt's own family are calling his account a lie. (Terry Hartzell)

"I am writing today to apologize publicly for harm caused to anyone because of my inserting myself into the descriptions of life in Auschwitz. I was not a prisoner there. I did not intend to lessen or overshadow the events which truly happened there by falsely claiming to have been personally involved," Hirt wrote in the letter.

"It wasn't about me. I was wrong in using an untruth (my presence) in an attempt to enhance the important truth of the suffering and death of so many - not only Jewish people, but also others held in disdain by the Nazi movement."

Hirt has claimed for years that he was an Auschwitz survivor in numerous public appearances, speaking engagements and newspaper articles.

His claims were first questioned earlier this month by a New York State history teacher who became suspicious after watching Hirt speak in April.

The teacher, Andrew Reid, set about fact checking Hirt's claims that he was kidnapped by the Nazis and imprisoned at Auschwitz before eventually escaping as a wildly emaciated "60-pound skeleton with skin."

Reid said the timelines of Hirt's claims did not add up and that a prisoner number tattooed on his left forearm also belonged to another person, according to officials at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum.

Hirt's own nephew confirmed that his uncle had made the story up, and that while there were distant family members imprisoned and killed in Nazi-run camps, Hirt and his immediate family members had instead fled Poland before the Germans invaded and were later rescued by the allies in Italy before being granted asylum in the US.

Hirt initially stood by his claims and argued against detractors like Reid and his own nephew. But the letter, delivered to LancasterOnline's offices on Wednesday, represents a shocking reversal and admission, one many didn't see coming.

"I was wrong," Hirt writes. "I ask forgiveness."

Hirt's nephew, Michael, was the only family member to publicly refute and condemn his uncle's claims when confronted with Reid's evidence earlier this month.

On Thursday, Michael said he was relieved that his uncle had "finally come clean," calling his years-long deception "a continuing source of embarrassment and shame for me."

Andrew Reid, the New York State teacher whose suspicions and research ultimately led to Joseph Hirt's outing and confession, issued the following response to his admission this week:

"I was very happy to read Mr. Hirt's confession of wrongdoing and public apology. I believe there is truth, that truth is not relative, and that the truth is the most liberating force in life. Also, as a Christian, I believe repentance, redemption, and reconciliation are more important than revenge and retribution. Therefore, while it is not ultimately my call to make, I would not support and would in fact discourage any legal action against Mr. Hirt. I wish him well. He has asked to meet with me and when time allows for a visit back to Lancaster, I hope to do so."

UPDATE: This article has been updated with reaction from Hirt's nephew and Andrew Reid.