Mayor de Blasio Honors Holocaust Survivor, Sigmund Rolat, at Jewish Heritage Month Reception

Jacob Kornbluh

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio honored Holocaust survivor Sigmund Rolat at a annual Jewish Heritage Month reception at the Jewish Heritage Museum on Thursday, proclaiming June 11th, 2015, in the City of New York, “Sigmund Rolat Day.”

Rolat, a New York-based businessman and philanthropist, was born in Czestochowa, Poland, in 1930. Most of his family was killed in the Holocaust. He survived in a German slave-labor munitions factory and emigrated to the U.S. in 1948, according to a profile by The Forward.

“Sigmund Rolat has dedicated his life to this goal – Zakhor, in Hebrew – keeping his promise to his older brother to never forget all he saw while living through the Holocaust. This commitment has led Mr. Rolat to become a leader in efforts to preserve Jewish history, promote tolerance and peace, and ensure the atrocities of the Holocaust are never forgotten. And tonight, I am proud to honor all he has contributed to Jewish heritage,” mayor de Blasio told the hundreds of attendees.

“His efforts have rebuilt landmarks in Poland, created exhibits depicting life there before, during, and after the Holocaust and reunited families separated during the war. His work spearheading the development of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, which highlights the long history of Jewish life in Poland, is further evidence of Mr. Rolat’s leadership in preserving both Jewish and Yiddish culture,” he added.

Czytaj dalej tu: Mayor de Blasio Honors…