HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS’ FOUNDATION USA STATEMENT ON PASSING OF PRESIDENT DAVID SCHAECTER, z’l
The Holocaust Survivors Foundation USA is deeply saddened to announce the passing of its President, David Schaecter, z’l, a brilliant and devoted human being and Holocaust survivor leader. David, who turned 96 on August 4, passed away this morning in Miami, Florida, surrounded by his family.
He remained active and engaged until very recently, having testified in the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging on April 30 on the subject Never Again: Addressing the Rise of Antisemitism and Supporting Older Americans.
David’s relentless and powerful advocacy for the Holocaust survivor community and the Jewish people leaves a legacy that will endure forever. In the late 1990s, at a time in his life when he could have rested on his laurels as a successful businessman and Jewish community leader, David joined with other remarkable Holocaust survivor leaders to form a grass-roots coalition to demand fair and transparent restitution of looted assets, and to advocate for the tens of thousands of survivors in need who institutions and the community were not serving properly. The resulting coalition, the Holocaust Survivors Foundation USA, formed in the year 2000, was a historic undertaking that succeeded in placing the rights, interests, and needs of Holocaust survivors high on the public and the Jewish community agenda.
David treasured his relationship with these colleagues in their holy work: David Mermelstein, Herb Karliner, Joe Sachs, Magda Bader, Renee Firestone, Si Frumkin, Annette Lantos, Alex Moskovic, Jack Rubin, Leo Rechter, Esther Widman, Izzy Arbeiter, Lea Weems, Jay Ipson, Agnes Vertes, Louise Lawrence-Israels, Charles Srebnik, Marguerite Birnbaum, and Suzanne Marshak. So may others, including second generation leaders, as well as unique individuals such as Mark Talisman z’l, and Thomas Weiss, M.D., have contributed to HSF’s impact under David’s leadership.
David Schaecter was born in Slovakia in 1929. He lost his father, mother, two sisters, and brother, and 105 relatives in all in the Holocaust. David survived both Auschwitz and Buchenwald. As he testified and wrote so many times, “somehow, after the war, I was able to prosper in this great land, the United States, and have a wonder family of two children and five beautiful grandchildren,” and to that we can add three great-grandchildren. Among his many accomplishments in the Miami Jewish community, David was one of 7 people – mostly survivors – who conceived and built the magnificent Holocaust Memorial on Miami Beach, which not only serves as a place for survivors and families to say Kadish for their loved ones who perished, but has served as powerful educational institution for busloads of students and others from throughout the world.
When HSF was founded in 2000, David was supported by his wife Marvis, a sweet and wonderful woman who sadly passed away far too young. David was later blessed to marry Sydney Carpel, a bright and energetic Jewish community leader in her own right, who provided tremendous love and support for David over the past 19 years.
According to Sam Dubbin, HSF counsel since the organization’s founding:
“I had the privilege of standing shoulder to shoulder with David for nearly 30 years, first with the South Florida Holocaust Survivors Coalition, and then HSF. David was saddened and infuriated to know that so many survivors were living in poverty without the help they needed, while governments and multinational businesses and organizations were holding billions of dollars that had been stolen from these very victims. David was a true national leader, a dynamo of conscience and courage, who never backed down. He demanded truth and fairness from public officials and institutions who refused to do justice for Holocaust survivors and their families. At the same time, David showed remarkable tenderness and love throughout his life, touching and educating tens of thousands of children and adults about the realities of the Holocaust, and the need to embrace our common humanity.”
The Miami Herald has published the following account of David’s life.
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/obituaries/article311959881.html
Our hearts go out to David’s wife Sydney, his son Neal, daughter in law Amy, daughter Lisa, and his grandchildren Brett, Danny, Joseph, Allison, and Jennifer. May they be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.
SIGNED BY THE HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS’ FOUNDATION USA
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Dena Axelrod, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Esther Finder, Las Vegas, NV
Klara Firestone, Los Angeles, CA
Ella Frumkin, Los Angeles, CA
Annette Lantos, Washington, D.C.
Louise Lawrence-Israels, Wash. D.C Shirley Rubin, Boynton Beach, FL
Thomas Weiss, M.D., Miami Beach, FL
Charles Srebnick, New York, NY
Magda Bader, Boston, MA
Renee Firestone, Los Angeles, CA
Jay Ipson, Richmond, VA
Vera Karliner, Miami Beach, FL
Katrina Lantos Swett, Concord, NH
Steve Moskovic, New York, NY
Anita Schuster, Las Vegas, NV
Agnes Vertes, Weston, CT
Neal Schaecter, Miami, FL
