Menachem Kaiser is a Canadian writer. He received the 2022

Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature The Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature is an annual prize awarded to an outstanding literary work of Jewish interest by an emerging writer. Previously administered by the Jewish Book Council, it is now given in association with the National Li ...

for his book ''Plunder: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure''.

Biography

Kaiser grew up in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

and graduated from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in 2009. He then received an MFA from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, and was a

Fulbright Fellow The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people o ...

to Lithuania. As part of his Fulbright grant, he taught at

Vilnius University Vilnius University ( Lithuanian: ''Vilniaus universitetas'') is a public research university, which is the first and largest university in Lithuania, as well as one of the oldest and most prominent higher education institutions in Central and Ea ...

and created the Vilnius Ghetto Project, an interactive map of the

Vilna Ghetto The Vilna Ghetto was a World War II Jewish ghetto established and operated by Nazi Germany in the city of Vilnius in the modern country of Lithuania, at the time part of the Nazi-administered . During the approximately two years of its existen ...

which allows users to explore the streets and buildings of the former ghetto from the perspective of its former residents. Kaiser's grandfather, Maier Menachem Kajzer, was a Jew born in Poland who survived

The Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

before moving to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and spent years trying to reclaim his family's apartment building in

Sosnowiec Sosnowiec is an industrial city county in the Dąbrowa Basin of southern Poland, in the Silesian Voivodeship, which is also part of the Metropolis GZM municipal association.—— Located in the eastern part of the Upper Silesian Industrial Re ...

. Kaiser documented his journey of trying to reclaim his family's property in Poland and discovering his family's surprising connections to the land in the book ''Plunder: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure,'' which won the 2022 Sami Rohr Prize''.'' Among his discoveries were that, his grandfather's first cousin, Abraham Kajzer, was the author of a Holocaust memoir, “Za Drutami Śmierci,” which in part detailed his time spent constructing the

Project Riese Riese (; German for "giant") was the code name for a construction project of Nazi Germany between 1943 and 1945. It consisted of seven underground structures in the Owl Mountains and Książ Castle in Lower Silesia, which was then Nazi Germany an ...

where many suspect treasure looted during the Holocaust was hidden and became popular among Polish treasure hunters. In ''Plunders,'' Kaiser teams up with a group of such treasure hunters in an effort to learn more about his own family history.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaiser, Menachem Living people Jewish Canadian writers Columbia University School of General Studies alumni University of Michigan alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Writers from Toronto