Herman Snyder (z”l)
January 1, 1921 – September 10, 2019
Birthplace: Vilna, Poland
Religious Identity: Atheist
“If there was a God, this would not have happened.”
Herman Snyder was living in Vilna, Poland when the Nazis invaded on June 22, 1941. He and his family were forced into the Vilna ghetto. Herman decided to flee the ghetto before the situation got any worse, leaving behind his mother, father, and brother, and sister. This was one of the most difficult decisions he ever made. Herman would
never see his family again; they were killed in a mass shooting conducted by the Nazis after he fled the ghetto.
Herman spent a long time traveling with a group, of four, eight, and at times twelve people through the forests always heading towards Russia. He was allowed into the country and began working, perfecting the trade of carpentry, specifically cabinet making, which he had started learning at a young age. After the war, he then left Russia for Germany, where he stayed for four years before immigrating to the United States.
While in Russia, he met his late wife, Anna. They had three children. At the time of his In Celebration of Life interview (2016), Herman still lived in the house that he had built for them 57 years prior. He felt a deep sense of gratefulness for what the Russian people did for him during the war, and said that he would not be where he was if not for them.
Herman passed away on Tuesday, September 10, 2019.
-Biography adapted from “In Celebration of Life: The Living Legacy Project” (2016)
More about Herman
Herman Snyder | Collective Legacy Project
Holocaust stories recalled all end with ‘Never Again’ | Air Combat Command
Holocaust survivors recall horrors of past | Hurlburt Field
Local Holocaust survivors featured in new photo exhibit | Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle
