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Sigmund A. Rolat or Zygmunt Rolat (July 1, 1930 – May 19, 2024) was a Polish-American philanthropist, art collector, and businessman. He was a founding donor of Polin, The Museum of the History of Polish Jews and a key supporter of numerous charitable endeavors.


Early life

Sigmund A. Rolat (originally Zygmunt Rozenblat) was born on July 1, 1930, in
Częstochowa Częstochowa ( , ; german: Tschenstochau, Czenstochau; la, Czanstochova) is a city in southern Poland on the Warta River with 214,342 inhabitants, making it the thirteenth-largest city in Poland. It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship (admi ...
, Poland. His grandfather Abram Rozenblat was the founder of the first Jewish elementary school where all subjects were taught exclusively in Polish. Rolat's happy childhood in pre-war Częstochowa left unforgettable memories. In numerous memoirs and in interviews given to the media around the world, Rolat always referred to Częstochowa as his "little homeland".


World War II

Rolat survived the Holocaust in the
Częstochowa Ghetto The Częstochowa Ghetto was a World War II ghetto set up by Nazi Germany for the purpose of persecution and exploitation of local Jews in the city of Częstochowa during the German occupation of Poland. The approximate number of people confined ...
, in hiding and as a forced laborer in the Hasag Pelcery labor camp. His parents and older brother died during the German occupation of Poland. Rolat's father Henryk participated in the uprising in
Treblinka Treblinka () was an extermination camp, built and operated by Nazi Germany in Occupation of Poland (1939–1945), occupied Poland during World War II. It was in a forest north-east of Warsaw, south of the Treblinka, Masovian Voivodeship, vi ...
. His mother Mariane was murdered in the Jewish cemetery and buried in a mass grave there. His brother Jerzyk, the youngest member of the Częstochowa Jewish resistance, was executed by the Nazis at the Jewish cemetery along with five older friends in March 1943. Rolat's Polish nanny Elka also perished, choosing to remain in the ghetto because she did not want to abandon the young Sigmund.


After the war

Rolat was liberated from the
HASAG HASAG (also known as Hugo Schneider AG, or by its original name in german: Hugo Schneider Aktiengesellschaft Metallwarenfabrik) was a German metal goods manufacturer founded in 1863. Based in Leipzig, it grew from a small business making lamps ...
-Pelcery camp in January 1945. He decided to leave Częstochowa with the pain and grief of losing the entire immediate family, close and distant relatives, friends from the neighborhood, schoolmates and acquaintances. He went to France and then moved to Germany where he received his high school diploma. In February 1948, Rolat arrived in the United States with just eight dollars in his pocket. He graduated from the
University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...
and
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, ...
and eventually built a sizable international finance company. Business opportunities in Poland after the fall of communism gave Rolat the chance to reconnect with his birthplace, inspiring him to work towards preserving Poland's rich Jewish history.


Philanthropy

Sigmund Rolat was one of the prime financial supporters and ambassadors for the restoration of Polish Jewry's place in Polish and world history. Towards the end of his life, Rolat's chief philanthropic endeavor was Polin, The Museum of the History of Polish Jews. He was a founding donor of this important museum built on the site of the
Warsaw Ghetto The Warsaw Ghetto (german: Warschauer Ghetto, officially , "Jewish Residential District in Warsaw"; pl, getto warszawskie) was the largest of the Nazi ghettos during World War II and the Holocaust. It was established in November 1940 by the N ...
, and served as the Chairman of th
North American Council
of the museum. He was a longtime supporter of
Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...
and the American Society for Yad Vashem. He achieved the status of Builder at Yad Vashem, Jerusalem by donating generously and often. He was also recognized for the generous donation of the works of Private Tolkatchev as well as other artwork to Yad Vashem's collection. A lover of the arts, Rolat was a key supporter of the annual Jewish Culture Festival in Kraków, a patron of Warsaw's Singer Jewish Culture Festival, the honorary Chairman of the Friends of the Jewish Culture Festival Association, the sponsor of the 8th Edition of the Bronislaw Huberman Violin Festival in Częstochowa, and a supporter of both the Bronislaw Huberman Częstochowa Philharmonic and the Grand Theater – National Opera in
Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is official ...
.


Monument controversy: From Those You Saved

Sigmund Rolat was the founder of the ''Remembrance and Future Foundation'' that organized the controversial monument competition ''From Those You Saved'' in Warsaw, to commemorate Polish righteous gentiles who saved Jews during the Holocaust. The plans to erect the monument next to the POLIN Museum, in the heart of the former
Warsaw Ghetto The Warsaw Ghetto (german: Warschauer Ghetto, officially , "Jewish Residential District in Warsaw"; pl, getto warszawskie) was the largest of the Nazi ghettos during World War II and the Holocaust. It was established in November 1940 by the N ...
, were harshly criticized by a significant number of Polish Jews. The president of the
Jewish Community of Warsaw Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
(pl) Anna Chipczyńska said she had regrets that they could not find an alternative site that would allow both the honouring of the
Righteous Among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( he, חֲסִידֵי אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם, ; "righteous (plural) of the world's nations") is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to s ...
as well as avoiding controversies and disagreements. Polish writer Bożena Keff expressed her view that the location of the monument was less about respecting history and more an act of propaganda. The winners of the competition, Austrian architect Gabu Heindl and artist Eduard Freudmann, decided to include the controversies in their monument project and proposed to plant a forest nursery consisting of thousands of saplings next to the museum. After a year and a half, the saplings would be replanted as a forest at an urban location in Warsaw to be agreed upon by the protagonists of the conflict. An international jury of 10 architects, artists, and curators chose ''The Monument May Be A Forest'' as the winning proposal, because the project represented the commemoration of the processual aspect rather than just using imposing physical presence; it is based on "notions of care, commitment, fragility and risk" as well as the actual act of sheltering the Jews and has the potential to spread the commemoration across time and space." POLIN's deputy director Zygmunt Stępiński said it was a good opportunity for the museum, opening up space for an educational program that had the opportunity to spread across the country. He also considered it was more complex than just setting a monument in front of the museum. The architect of the POLIN Museum, Rainer Mahlamäki, one of the judges who voted for the trees, sees the winner of the competition as a new type of art and memorial as opposed to a monument. After the jury's decision had been published in April 2015, Sigmund Rolat denounced the design. In February 2016 Rolat invited the Israeli sculptor
Dani Karavan Daniel "Dani" Karavan ( he, דני קרוון, 7 December 1930 – 29 May 2021) was an Israeli sculptor best known for site specific memorials and monuments which merge into the environment. Biography Daniel (Dani) Karavan was born in Tel A ...
to take on the project but he declined after he had read an article written by Freudmann and Heindl, in which they criticize the foundation and their course of action. In April 2016 Karavan announced that he accepted the commission to build the monument, thereby sparking another furor. To this day the monument for the Polish righteous gentiles has not been built.


Awards and honors

Sigmund Rolat received numerous awards, including the title Patron of the Arts, Patron of Culture and the title Honorary Citizen of the City by officials in Częstochowa. On May 9, 2016, Rolat received The Jan Karski Humanitarian Award at the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York City. The Award was established by The Polish-Jewish Dialogue Committee. In December 2014, in New York, he received the Remembrance Award from
Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...
Society's chair Leonard Wilf. In October 2014 Rolat was appointed the Honorary Professor at
Jan Długosz University The Jan Dlugosz University in Czestochowa Uniwersytet Humanistyczno-Przyrodniczy im. Jana Długoszais a public university located in Częstochowa, in the Silesian Voivodeship of Poland. Founded in 1971 as a teacher training college, it was trans ...
in his native Częstochowa. On September 19, 2013, Rolat was awarded Poland's highest honor for citizens who live abroad, the Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland for achievements in Polish-Jewish dialogue presented personally in New York City by President
Bronisław Komorowski Bronisław Maria Komorowski (; born 4 June 1952) is a Polish politician and historian who served as President of Poland from 2010 to 2015. Komorowski served as Minister of Defence from 2000 to 2001. As Marshal of the Sejm, Komorowski exercis ...
. In November 2013 he received the Spirit of Jan Karski Award at
David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies David Sword Wyman (6 March 1929 – 14 March 2018) was the Josiah DuBois professor of history at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.Polin, The Museum of the History of Polish Jews, President
Lech Kaczyński Lech Aleksander Kaczyński (; 18 June 194910 April 2010) was a Polish politician who served as the city mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 2005, and as President of Poland from 2005 until his death in 2010. Before his tenure as president, he pre ...
honored him with the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland during the commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising; pl, powstanie w getcie warszawskim; german: link=no, Aufstand im Warschauer Ghetto was the 1943 act of Jewish resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto in German-occupied Poland during World War II to oppose Nazi Germany' ...
on April 19, 2008.


Later public appearances

On November 8, 2014, Rolat spoke at the Toronto premiere of the "Return of the Violin", as part of Toronto's Holocaust Education Week. ''"We opened the Museum on the 28th (of October 2014) 10 days ago. It was a wonderful, wonderful opening. I certainly am now so happy that really the most important task of my life which was Polin, The Museum of the History of Polish Jews s completedand that young people on the March of the Living who are coming to Poland will no longer see only the Auschwitz and Treblinka camps – they will also find out about urglorious, glorious thousand years in Poland and how much we accomplished in those days."'' After the premiere of the "Return of the Violin", 14-year-old Tali Katz, a granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, composed "Six", inspired by the bravery of Sigmund Rolat, as the only member of his immediate family to survive the Holocaust. On December 3, 2014, Rolat,
Joshua Bell Joshua David Bell (born December 9, 1967) is an American violinist and conductor. He plays the Gibson Stradivarius. Early life and education Bell was born in Bloomington, Indiana, to Shirley Bell, a therapist, and Alan P. Bell, a psycholog ...
and
Budd Mishkin Budd may refer to: People * Budd (given name) * Budd (surname) Places * Budd Coast, Wilkes Land, Antarctica * Budd Creek, California * Budd Peak (Enderby Land), Antarctica * Budd Peak (Heard Island), Indian Ocean ** Budd Pass * Budd Inlet, a ...
took part in a discussion following the screening of "The Return of the Violin". The documentary film, sponsored by Rolat, chronicles the journey of the Gibson ex-Huberman Stradivarius now owned and played by Bell. On April 16, 2015, Sigmund Rolat was the guest of honor at the International
March of the Living The March of the Living ( he, מצעד החיים, ) is an annual educational program which brings students from around the world to Poland, where they explore the remnants of the Holocaust. On Holocaust Memorial Day observed in the Jewish cale ...
memorial ceremony in
Auschwitz-Birkenau Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...
on
Holocaust Remembrance Day Yom HaZikaron laShoah ve-laG'vurah ( he, יום הזיכרון לשואה ולגבורה, , lit=Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day), known colloquially in Israel and abroad as Yom HaShoah (יום השואה) and in English as Holocaust Reme ...
. His eloquent speech delivered to some 10,000 young people and survivors appeared in both Polish and English media and was reprinted in more than 50 newspapers. In his speech, Rolat stated that he had no choice but to remember the Holocaust, but challenged the young people – who do have a choice – to also remember, giving them four reasons to do so: solidarity with those who survived, the simple decency of keeping alive the memory of the victims by mourning their loss, and fear that this might happen again to others unless we learn from history. He concluded his remarks with a fourth reason to remember: gratitude "to those Poles who – like my Elka – risked their lives to save Jews from the chimneys of Auschwitz. From the ghetto walls of Czestochowa. From the abyss. And our gratitude toward them is the fourth reason to remember." On April 18, 2015, Rolat spoke at a
March of the Living The March of the Living ( he, מצעד החיים, ) is an annual educational program which brings students from around the world to Poland, where they explore the remnants of the Holocaust. On Holocaust Memorial Day observed in the Jewish cale ...
event at the
University of Warsaw The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields of ...
honoring Survivors, Liberators, and
Righteous Among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( he, חֲסִידֵי אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם, ; "righteous (plural) of the world's nations") is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to s ...
. In his speech to students from around the world, he advocated for the building of a monument to the Righteous Among the Nations in Warsaw. He said: "We will say thank you properly and in years long from now your children will come here and they will also see that monument to thank those who saved us.." On June 11, 2015, at an event at the
Museum of Jewish Heritage A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
, New York City Mayor
Bill de Blasio Bill de Blasio (; born Warren Wilhelm Jr., May 8, 1961; later Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm) is an American politician who served as the 109th mayor of New York City from 2014 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he held the office of New Yor ...
honored Rolat, by proclaiming it "Sigmund Rolat Day" in the City of New York.


Personal life and death

Sigmund Rolat had four children. He lived in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
and spent time in
Bal Harbour Bal Harbour is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The population was 3,093 at the 2020 US Census. History Since the 1920s, the Detroit-based Miami Beach Heights Corporation—headed by industrialists Robert C. Graham, Walter O. Brigg ...
, Florida. Sigmund died in New York City on May 19, 2024, at the age of 93.Zygmunt Rolat has passed away
Polin


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rolat, Sigmund 1930 births 2024 deaths Polish emigrants to the United States Częstochowa Ghetto inmates American businesspeople American philanthropists People from Częstochowa Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland Holocaust survivors