Yad Vashem mourns the passing of a dear friend and Benefactor, Arie Halpern, z”l.

Arie was born in Chorostkow, Poland in 1918. His family was religiously observant, and particularly dedicated to fulfilling the Jewish tradition of hospitality. After his father and mother were murdered by the Nazis, Arie and his brother Sam were sent to the Kamionka labor camp. Hearing of the camp’s pending liquidation, the two brothers escaped and were taken in by a kind Polish family who, at great risk to their own lives, hid them in the hayloft of their barn for eight and a half months until they were liberated by the Red Army in March 1944. Only 26 Jews from his community of 2,000 survived the war.

Arie Halpern was a true example of triumph over adversity. After the war, the Halpern brothers started a textile business in Germany and then moved to the United States, where they became successful in the construction business. Despite his traumatic youth, Arie maintained his strong commitment to Judaism, dedicating his life to the Jewish community, Jewish education and Zionist causes, as well as to Holocaust remembrance and commemoration. He supported the building of the Valley of the Communities at Yad Vashem and, together with Sam, contributed to the renovation of the Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations. Arie also served on the Executive Board of the American and International Societies for Yad Vashem.

After the war, Arie married Frieda Geller and the couple had three daughters. Frieda died in 1965, and Arie later married Eva Stein (née Krenkel), an old family friend and one of the only survivors from Chorostkow. In 1995, Arie and his brother Sam returned to the town of their birth and erected a monument to the memory of the Jews of Chorostkow—the only visible testimony to this vanished community.

Arie is survived by five children—Ben, Bella, Shelly, Henry and Nanette—and many grandchildren. He will be missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him.

Yad Vashem mourns the passing of William Herskovic z”l, a longtime supporter and “Builder” of Yad Vashem. William escaped from Auschwitz in 1942 and helped mobilize the Belgian Resistance to save hundreds of Jewish lives. In 2003, Yad Vashem published Escape to Life—a memoir recounting his efforts during the Holocaust.

Yad Vashem mourns the passing of Ab Caransa z”l, former Chairman of the Dutch Society for Yad Vashem. A survivor of the Shoah, Ab contributed greatly to Holocaust remembrance.

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