JACK POLAK

POLAK--Jack.

Jack Polak passed peacefully on January 9, 2015 at the age of 102. He was born in Amsterdam on December 31, 1912. When the Germans invaded The Netherlands, he was deported to Westerbork, a transit camp where he worked as a school principal. In February, 1944, he was transported to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. On April 23, 1945, he was liberated by the Russian Army and then he contracted and survived spotted typhus. His parents Frederick and Grietje and sister Juul perished during the Holocaust. Mr. Polak then returned to Amsterdam to start what he called his 'second life' as a certified tax consultant. He married Catharina (Ina) Soep (1923-2014), whom he had courted in the camps. He emigrated to the United States in 1951 with his wife and two small sons, and began his "third life" building an investment firm and working for many organizations to teach the lessons of the Holocaust through his own experiences. Jack Polak was a founder and served as president and chairman of the Anne Frank Center USA for many years, and has been the keynote speaker nationwide for over 100 openings of the Anne Frank traveling exhibitions. He was the current Chairman Emeritus of the AFC-USA, and worked in that capacity as a speaker in schools, churches, synagogues, and private organizations. He has been honored by the United Jewish Appeal, Israel Bond Drive, Bnai Brith, and by the State of Georgia for invaluable contributions toward reconciling human differences and divisions. He was a founding board member of the Westchester Holocaust Education Center, in Purchase, NY, and a member of the NYS Commission on the Holocaust. In 2004, Mr. Polak received an honorary doctorate from Hofstra University, and he has received the NYS Louis E. Yavner Award, an honor for a New York State resident who has demonstrated distinguished contributions related to teaching the Holocaust and human rights. On his 80th birthday he was knighted by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands for his work as the president of the AFC-USA and for speaking about the decimated Jewish population of the Netherlands at universities and myriad organizations in the United States. Mr. Polak and his beloved wife co- wrote a book titled "Steal a Pencil for Me," largely comprised of the love letters they wrote to each other during their time in the camps in Westerbork and Bergen- Belsen, which includes a day- to-day account of life in the camps. A documentary film with the same title directed by Oscar nominee Michele Ohayon based on this book won many awards including best film at The Jerusalem Film Festival. Mr. Polak contributed two chapters to the book "Inspired Lives" by Johanna Laufer and Kenneth S. Lewis. He wrote a chapter on the Netherlands included in the book by Dr. M. Mitchell Serels and Rabbi Solomon Gaon, Ph.D. titled "Sephardim and the Holocaust: The Destruction of Sephardic Communities." In private life, he worked as an investment counselor, and as a certified Dutch tax consultant. He was a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts, and a director of a number of public companies. He and Ina are survived by three children, Frederick B. Polak (Carrie), Anthony Polak (Amy), Margrit Polak Shield (Harvey), five grandchildren, Joshua (Sarah), Jamie (Abbie), Ann (Jordan), Emily, Sofia, and seven great-grand children, Ava, Isabel, Eden, Owen, Miles, Lilah and Jocelyn. Jack is also survived by sisters Betty Bausch (96), who lives in The Netherlands and Israel, and Liesje Auerbach (92), who lives in Israel. His legacy is captured in the six lessons he emphasized whenever he lectured: 1. Don't Discriminate. 2. Don't generalize. 3. Don't be a bystander. 4. Work for peace. 5. Enjoy the simple things in life. 6. We are living in a wonderful country and we all need to work together to make this a better world, but this can only be achieved if people learn the lessons of the Holocaust. Donations to the Anne Frank Center USA as gestures to help carry on Jack's legacy are greatly appreciated by his family and by the organization. www.annefrank.com