Manny Kolski (z”l)
August 21, 1914 – November 11, 2020
Birthplace: Lodz, Poland
Religious Identity: Jewish
“Can you imagine…I was 23 years old, that’s all… the best years…. I didn’t believe from one second to the next that I’d survive… It’s a miracle.”
Manny Kolski was in his twenties at the outbreak of World War II. He spent five years in a number of different ghettos and camps including the Lodz ghetto, Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen, Hanover-Ahlem, Majdanek, and Gross-Rosen (sub-camp of Sachsenhausen.) Manny said he couldn’t even remember all the names. After several horrific
years under Nazi imprisonment, he was liberated from Bergen-Belsen by the British. Manny’s parents and three sisters were all killed during the Holocaust.
After liberation, Manny met his late wife, Elka. They had their first daughter in Germany before coming to the United States together in 1949. They had two daughters and five grandsons. Manny worked in the United States for 30 years as a baker and retired at age 62 because he “didn’t want to wait until 65.” Manny loved running and was always “very physical, and ran often.” For health reasons he started trying to walk frequently instead. He also enjoyed reading, watching television, having lunch at the local Jewish Community Center, and visiting with his daughter on the weekends.
“Hitler is dead, and I am alive.”
Manny passed away on Wednesday, November 11, 2020, at age 106.
-Biography adapted from from “In Celebration of Life: The Living Legacy Project” (2015)
More about Manny
‘Stories of resilience’: Holocaust center features Pittsburgh-area survivors | The Times
USC Shoah Foundation Institute testimony of Manuel Kolski (not digitized) | USHMM