Samuel Drix

SAMUEL DRIX
ITHACA - Dr. Samuel Drix passed away Thursday, May 22, 2008, at the age of 96 from pneumonia. He was surrounded by his family at this death, after a full, long life as a practicing physician for over 50 years. When he retired from private practice at the age of 80, he began in earnest to write of his experiences surviving the Holocaust. His memoir, "Witness to Annihilation," (Brassey's, now Potomac Books), was published in 1994. As he wrote in the introduction to the book, "... in the last few years, we have seen more frequently published declarations, by pseudohistorians and Nazi activists, that the Holocaust is a hoax, that it never happened. This puts a profound obligation on all survivors still living to come out with their stories, to share their experiences. With this book I am fulfilling my sacred duty, and I hope not in vain."
The book describes the historic events leading up to the war in Eastern Poland, his capture by German and Ukrainian soldiers, his ordeals in Janowska concentration camp, and his daring escape and survival. On many occasions, he miraculously defied death. Even after losing his entire family, including his wife Frania and daughter Sylvia, he wanted to live to tell the world his story, for he would not have believed all these horrors, had he not lived through them himself. He appeared as a witness in two war crimes trials in Germany. His testimony in 1977 in Saarbrucken was cited as the crucial factor in convicting the notorious SS guard, Friedrich Heinen.
Dr. Drix emigrated to the United States in 1955, after being a successful doctor in post-war Germany. Because his health was damaged due to his suffering in the war, he had difficulty receiving a visa to the United States. With persistence and help from an American Army chaplain, he finally was able to come, and established residence in New York City, practicing medicine and raising his son with his second wife. In pre-war Poland he had been a promising medical researcher and had hoped to find a cure for cancer. Though he chose to narrow the scope of his career, he dedicated himself enthusiastically to his work as a doctor. Over the years, many patients wrote to him saying they believed he had saved their lives.
In addition to his private practice, he began working for the German Consulate in New York City, examining Holocaust survivors to help them receive war restitution pensions for their sufferings. He gave them a generous and sympathetic hearing. In 1991, Dr. Drix was awarded the Officer's Cross for the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for this work.
Dr. Drix lived life fully, enjoying his work, his family and his friends. He loved attending the opera, traveling around the world, and reading the New York Times. He knew ten languages, and in a single conversation, he could speak German, Yiddish, Russian, Ukrainian and English! He was a man of great wit, compassion, and intelligence. And he could always tell a great story. As he would say of any great man, he was a real Mensch.
Dr. Drix came to Ithaca in 2003 to spend his last few years at Oak Hill Manor Nursing Home. Here, he received great care and love from many of the staff, and from several companions who spoke Polish with him, read to him, and played music and opera videos for him.
Dr. Drix was predeceased by his wife, Alice, also a Holocaust survivor. It was a severe blow to him when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Anyone wishing to honor Dr. Drix's life may do so by donating to the Alzheimer's Association (www.alz.org). He and Alice are interred at Beth-el Cemetery in Paramus, New Jersey. There will be a memorial service Monday, June 23, at 7 p.m. for Dr. Drix at the Chabad House in Ithaca, 102 Willard Way, corner of University Avenue. Bangs Funeral Home will be in charge of the arrangements.
Dr. Drix is survived by his only son, Severin; daughter-in-law, Pamela; and his two grandsons, Julian, who graduated from Brown University this year, and Nathaniel, who is a student at New York University.