We mourn the passing of Jack Puterman, a man of indomitable spirit and courage.
Jack was born in Skarzysko-Kamienna, Poland, to Josef and Bronia, where his family lived a traditional Jewish life until Germany invaded in 1939.
By 1940, they were confined to a ghetto. Jack was only 13 when both his parents were taken away. Against all odds Jack and his mother survived several camps. His sister Cymale and his paternal grandparents were deported to Treblinka killing centre and killed.
After the war Jack and his mother moved to Sweden where Jack attended a trade school to learn upholstery. Eventually they emigrated to Durban and with the skills he learned in Sweden Jack established his own successful business. He married Marcia and the couple were blessed with a beautiful family of five sons and eight grandchildren.
Jack was enormously proud and supportive when we established the Durban Holocaust and Genocide Centre and the community was deeply moved when Jack shared his story for the first time at our opening in 2008. Jack remained a close friend of the DHGC and two years later he was moved to publish his story, Testimony. He will be dearly missed and his contribution to the Centre will be gratefully remembered.
Below, Jack at the opening of the DHGC March 2008
We mourn the passing of Jack Puterman, a man of indomitable spirit and courage.
Jack was born in Skarzysko-Kamienna, Poland, to Josef and Bronia, where his family lived a traditional Jewish life until Germany invaded in 1939.
By 1940, they were confined to a ghetto. Jack was only 13 when both his parents were taken away. Against all odds Jack and his mother survived several camps. His sister Cymale and his paternal grandparents were deported to Treblinka killing centre and killed.
After the war Jack and his mother moved to Sweden where Jack attended a trade school to learn upholstery. Eventually they emigrated to Durban and with the skills he learned in Sweden Jack established his own successful business. He married Marcia and the couple were blessed with a beautiful family of five sons and eight grandchildren.
Jack was enormously proud and supportive when we established the Durban Holocaust and Genocide Centre and the community was deeply moved when Jack shared his story for the first time at our opening in 2008. Jack remained a close friend of the DHGC and two years later he was moved to publish his story, Testimony. He will be dearly missed and his contribution to the Centre will be gratefully remembered.
Below, Jack at the opening of the DHGC March 2008