Jean I. Greenstein
July 9, 1924 - February 24, 2018
Jean (Egon Grünstein) Greenstein was born in Velky Sevlus, Czechoslovakia, to Peter and Sari Grünstein, the third of six children. In April 1944, Jean was interned with his family in the Sevlus ghetto. In June 1944, Jean and three others escaped and hid in a wine cellar. The following day, the local Jews, including Jean’s entire extended family, were transported to Auschwitz.
By late August, Jean’s group was forced to emerge from the cellar, were captured and put on a passenger train headed for Auschwitz. The train was diverted to Budapest, where after escaping, Jean located and joined the underground resistance.
Under the auspices of the resistance and fluent in German, Jean joined the Wehrmacht as an SS officer. Tasked by the underground with intercepting Jews being marched toward deportation and death camps, Jean confronted Nazi soldiers, informing them that the Jews were protected, and demanded their release into his custody.
The “prisoners” were then escorted to the Glass House, a former glass factory under the protection of the Swiss Embassy, where, due to the heroic work of others—including Swiss Vice Consul Carl Lutz, Spanish Ambassador Angel San Bris, acting Ambassador Italian Giorgio Perlasca, and Swedish Ambassador Raoul Wallenberg— thousands of Jews were given refuge and provided with Schutzpasses (protective passports) for safe passage out of Hungary. Jean never knew how many people he saved or helped save. “Hundreds, probably thousands,” he estimated.
After liberation, Jean made his way back to Velky Sevlus, where his home had been vandalized and his family had perished. Only his older sister Sidi had survived. Jean eventually sailed to Palestine on an Aliyah Bet ship, ending up in Tel Aviv, where he studied dentistry. In late 1947, he was called up to the Haganah, where he fought with the elite Palmach unit in the Jerusalem battles.
Jean immigrated to New York late 1949, working as a dental technician and earning CDT certification. He met Ruth Blumer at Brighton Beach; they married on June 1, 1952 and they had three children: Paul, Lawrence and Sharon.
In 1961, the family moved to Los Angeles, where Jean opened Cerama-Dent Studios, a dental laboratory, specializing in cosmetic dentistry. He sold it in 1972, and opened Creative Dental Ceramics. In addition to his groundbreaking approach to cosmetic dentistry, Jean invented cosmetic dental techniques and patented a number of innovative dental instruments. He retired in 1988.
Jean is survived by his wife Ruth Blumer Greenstein; his older sister Sidi Grünstein Gluck; his three children, Paul (and wife Dydia DeLyser), Lawrence Greenstein and Sharon Rudnick; two grandchildren Nina Rudnick (Mniska Lamb) and Tessa Rudnick (Dan Green); and two greatgrandchildren Shira Green and Calder Lamb.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of the following: Los Angeles Holocaust Museum; Museum of Tolerance; US Holocaust Museum.