Thomas Blatt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thomas Blatt
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Blatt in 2013
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| Born |
Tomasz Blatt
April 15, 1927 Izbica, Second Polish Republic
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| Died | October 31, 2015 (aged 88) |
| Nationality | Polish American |
| Other names | Toivi Hersz Ber Blatt, Bolesław Stankiewicz, Tobiasz Blatt |
| Known for | Survivor of the Sobibór extermination camp uprising |
| Spouse(s) | Teodozja Kowalik, Dena Blatt |
| Children | Rena Blatt/Smith Leonard Blatt |
Thomas "Toivi" Blatt (born Tomasz Blatt; April 15, 1927 – October 31, 2015) was a Holocaust survivor. He was also a writer and public speaker. When he was 16, he escaped from the Sobibór extermination camp during a prisoner uprising in October 1943. About 300 prisoners tried to escape. Many were caught and killed by German search teams. After World War II, Blatt lived in Communist Poland. In 1957, he moved to Israel. In 1958, he settled in the United States.
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Thomas Blatt's Early Life
Thomas "Toivi" Blatt was born on April 15, 1927. He grew up in a Jewish family in Izbica, Second Polish Republic. His father owned a liquor store. Most people in Izbica were Jewish at that time. Tomasz also had a brother.
During World War II, Nazi Germany took over Poland. Thomas's family was forced into the Izbica Ghetto. This was a special area created by the SS in 1941. It was the largest transit ghetto in the Lublin Reservation.
In October 1942, his family decided to separate. They hoped this would help them survive. Tomasz tried to go to Hungary. He was captured and put in prison. He was held first in Stryj and then in the Ghetto Stryj.
In early 1943, Blatt returned to Izbica. He rejoined his parents and brother. On April 28, 1943, Blatt was taken to Sobibór. He was on a truck with about 400 other Jewish people from Izbica. His family members were killed there when they arrived.
Sobibór was a place where many people were murdered. At least 167,000 people died there. Most of them were Jewish. They came from Poland, France, and the Netherlands.
Escaping Sobibór
Blatt was one of about 300 prisoners who escaped. This happened during an uprising at Sobibór. The prisoners planned their escape for October 14, 1943.
After the War: New Beginnings
In 1957, Blatt moved from Stalinist Poland to Israel. In 1958, he moved to the United States. In the late 1970s and 1980s, he worked with Richard Rashke. Rashke was an American journalist and author. He wrote a book called Escape from Sobibor in 1982. Blatt helped Rashke find and interview other Sobibór survivors. This helped tell the story of the revolt.
Blatt also did his own research. In 1983, he interviewed Karl Frenzel. Frenzel was a Nazi German who had been a high-ranking officer at Sobibór. Frenzel had been sentenced to life in prison. He was released after 16 years. Blatt said his interview was the first time a survivor of a death camp spoke face-to-face with a camp officer after the war.
Sharing His Story
Rashke's 1983 book became a TV movie in 1987. It was also called Escape from Sobibor. The movie showed the events leading up to the uprising. Blatt helped as a technical adviser for the film. The movie featured actors playing the revolt leaders, Leon Feldhendler and Alexander Pechersky. Other prisoners, including Blatt, were also played by actors.
Blatt wrote two books about Sobibór. His first book, From The Ashes of Sobibor (1997), tells about his life before the war. It also describes the German occupation of Izbica. This led to his family being sent to the Sobibór death camp.
His second book was Sobibor: the forgotten revolt (1998). This book was also based on his own experiences and research. His son, Leon Blatt, helped him write it. The book tells the story of the prisoner revolt on October 14, 1943. It includes memories from Alexander Pechersky and others.
Blatt lived in Santa Barbara, California. He passed away at his home on October 31, 2015. He was 88 years old.
See also
In Spanish: Thomas Blatt para niños
