Alexander Fishman was a beloved grandfather, father, and Holocaust survivor. Born in Sighet, Hungary in 1917, he was captured by the Nazis as a young man and spent many years in work and concentration camps. After surviving the horrors of the Holocaust, he returned home to discover his parents, several siblings, wife and two young daughters, Anniko and Evelyn, the youngest of which he had never met, had been killed by Nazis. He eventually immigrated to the United States where he began a second life, marrying Ruth and welcoming a daughter, Rita, who blessed him with three grandchildren (pictured above) that were the light of his life. He spent his remaining years completely devoted to their joy and happiness. Though he was not able to meet any of his six great-grandchildren, three of the children are his namesakes, and two are named after his wife, Ruth.

 

To further honor his memory, we formed The Alexander Fishman Childhood Joy Fund to make more childhood joy possible, despite circumstances that threaten its existence like poverty, oppression, job loss, abuse, illness, or loss of a loved one, among others.