‘Amazing’ survivor Jack dies, aged 96
TRIBUTES are being paid to a Holocaust survivor after his death aged 96.
Jack Aizenberg, who survived multiple Nazi labour and concentration camps, was a muchloved and hugely respected fatherof-two with three grandchildren.
An inspiration to all who heard him speak, Jack passed away on Tuesday. His message was simple: That the horrors of the Holocaust should never be forgotten and the world should live in peace.
Jack, who lived in Whitefield, Bury, with his beloved wife, Rhona, was one of around 300 young Jewish orphans who were brought to Cumbria in 1945 - the ‘Windermere Boys’. In a BBC documentary aired in 2010, he described his journey as ‘like going from hell to paradise’.
In November, 1942, the Nazis entered Jack’s home town of Staszow, Poland. At his father’s suggestion, he went into hiding. His parents and younger brother, just nine years old, did not survive their lives taken in a gas chamber.
“I went into hiding, otherwise I wouldn’t be here. If I went with them, next day I would have been gone,” Jack told the 2012 ITV series Strictly Kosher. “My brother was only nine years old... gassed. What had he done wrong? He was a Jew.’’
After arriving in the Lake District he began a new life in Whitefield, launching a thriving luggage company from scratch.
Speaking to the M.E.N., Jack’s daughter Debbie Aizenberg Greenstein said: “He was an amazing man. People have called me and messaged me from all corners of the world.
“It’s his legacy - and we want the story to continue. I will be his voice for the next generation, and then my children will be. That is what it is all about now - to keep it going.
“He was a pioneer in Holocaust education. He went round to many schools in the North West telling his story - and he did that for quite a number of years..”
Debbie revealed she’s part way through writing a book on her father’s life as part of a project also involving other Holocaust survivors documenting their stories. “He will never be forgotten,” she said.