Alexander Donat | |
|---|---|
| Born | Michał Berg 1905 Warsaw, Poland |
| Died | 16 June 1983(1983-06-16) (aged 77–78) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Journalist; author |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
Alexander Donat, alsoAleksander Donat in Polish (1905 – 16 June 1983), was aHolocaust survivor imprisoned at theLodz Ghetto and several Naziconcentration camps during theoccupation of Poland byNazi Germany inWorld War II. After the war, Donat, a chemist by training and journalist by profession, emigrated with his family to the United States, settling inNew York City. As an eye witness tothe Holocaust in Poland, he went on to write about his wartime experiences, collect documents, and publish the narratives of others.[1]
Alexander Donat was born Michał Berg in the Polish capitalWarsaw,[2] where he lived untilWorld War II. He was a publisher of a daily newspaper there, had married, and became a father in 1937 to a son William. Following the Nazi Germaninvasion of Poland Berg (Donat) and his family were forced into theWarsaw Ghetto. From there, he was deported to several slave labor and concentration camps includingMajdanek. Michał Berg met a prisoner whose real name was Alexander Donat atVaihingenconcentration camp. They secretly agreed to switch their names for a prisoner transport. Soon thereafter the real Alexander Donat was murdered. Berg decided to keep Donat's name as his own forever.[2] Donat feared that, "should the Nazis be victorious, 'future generations will pay tribute to them'" similar toHomeric Greek crusaders. He was liberated fromDachau by American troops and returned to Warsaw, where he found his wife and their son, whom thePolish rescuers had placed in a Catholic orphanage. The Donats went to the United States and opened a printing business.[3][4]
In 1977, Donat helped start "The Holocaust Library", a non-profit program to launch books that condemn persecution and tell of the personal experiences of the Jews during the Second World War. He died of a lung disease atMount Sinai Hospital inNew York City.[4]
His son William Donat was a noted publisher, President of Waldon Press, and a graphic artist. He died on November 5, 2009.[5]
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