Famous Jews from Nowy Sącz
Chaim Halberstam (1793 – 1876) – the progenitor of the Tzadikim dynasty of Sądecczyzna. During his life, he was considered a miracle worker, benefactor and great sage. He is buried in the Jewish cemetery on Rybacka Street. Hasidim make pilgrimages to his grave.
Bernard Zauderer (1851 – 1928) – a doctor, student of Lucjan Rydel, among others. He founded the first hospital in Travnik (Bosnia). He received the title of Honorary Citizen of this city. He studied Balkan culture and folklore.
Artur Berson (1859 – 1942) – professor of meteorology. He was called the father of modern aerology and a pioneer of aviation medicine. Record holder of a balloon flight in 1894.
Laura Eichhorn (1889 – 1961) – doctor of English philology. She was a teacher at the Girls’ High School in Nowy Sącz. After the war, she wrote down accounts of Holocaust survivors and worked on preserving and cataloging the Ringelblum archive.
Jakub Awigdor (1896-1967) – before the war, the Chief Rabbi of Drohobycz and Borysław. He survived the occupation in concentration camps. From 1952, the Chief Rabbi of Mexico.
Zofia Ameisen (1897-1967) – professor of art history. In 1951, she became the curator of the Jagiellonian Library. She received many state awards.
Rafał Mahler (1899-1977) – professor of history at Tel Aviv University. He was the editor of the work Sefer Sanc – the book of the Jews of Sącz. In 1977, he received the Israel Prize – the highest award for a scientist in this country.
Emanuel Ringelblum (1900 – 1944) – historian. During World War II he founded and created the Warsaw Ghetto Archive. Patron of the Jewish Historical Institute.
Artur Eisenbach (1906 – 1992) – professor of history. One of the pioneers of Holocaust research. In the years 1966 – 1968 director of the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw.
Pinkas Rosengarten (1913 – 2011) – lieutenant colonel of the Polish Army, chief rabbi of the Anders Army. He took part, among others, in the Battle of Monte Cassino. Teacher of religious schools in Israel (doctor of philosophy from the Jagiellonian University). In the 1990s he was the president of the Sądecka Landsmanshaft in Israel.
Pinchas Burnstein „Maryan” (1927 – 1977) – painter, Holocaust survivor. He created in France and the USA, among others. His art is marked by the trauma of war. Maryan’s paintings are exhibited all over the world.
Beno Sternlicht (1928 – 2012) – philanthropist and American entrepreneur, involved in energy. He was an advisor to US presidents Carter and Reagan and chairman of the NASA Committee on Energy and Space Propulsion. Photo. 9
Emil Knebel (1934 – 2013) – outstanding cinematographer. His photos were considered among the ten best in the world in 1960. One of the creators and later professor at the Film Department of Tel Aviv University.
Jakub Müller (1920–2010) – Holocaust survivor, guardian of the memory of the Jews of Nowy Sącz. Thanks to him, many monuments and places of worship in the Sądecczyzna region were renovated after the war. Patron of the Museum and Educational Center „Beis Jaakow”.
Izak Goldfinger (1925–2014) – Holocaust survivor in labor camps. After the war, he became involved in Polish-Jewish dialogue. Initiator of the partnership agreement between Nowy Sącz and Netanya.
Markus Lustig (1925–2022) – Holocaust survivor, saved by Schindler, among others – a tireless witness to the tragic war events. He took part in the fight for Israel’s independence. As an extra, he appeared in 168 films. First Honorary Ambassador of the Shtetl of Nowy Sącz.
