Jerzy Einhorn
Encyclopedia
Jerzy Einhorn was a Polish
-born Swedish
medical doctor, researcher and politician (Kristdemokrat
). His Hebrew name was Chil Josef, after his paternal grandfather.
Born into a Yiddish-speaking Jewish family, he became a victim of the Holocaust during World War II
. He was first sent to the Warsaw Ghetto
, then to the Częstochowa Ghetto
outside his hometown, where he was detained at the HASAG-Placery concentration camp between June 1943 and January 1945. He later chronicled his experience there in a book entitled Utvald att leva (English:
Chosen to live).
Einhorn graduated from secondary school
in Częstochowa
in 1945 and began to study medicine at the University of Łódź, then left Poland in 1946 to continue his studies in Denmark. After some Jewish students were killed in Łódź in anti-semitic attacks, Einhorn and his wife decided not to return to Poland and instead sought asylum
in Sweden.
Einhorn worked at Sweden's prestigious oncological
institution, Radiumhemmet at the Karolinska Institute from 1967 till he retired in 1992. He was a professor of radiotherapy and the director of the Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm
. He was also a member of the Nobel Prize
Committee in medicine, as well as an honorary member and recipient of the gold medal of the Radiological Society of North America
.
Throughout their lives, both Einhorn and his wife, Nina, were actively involved in Zionist
fundraising. During 1991-94, Einhorn was a Swedish MP for the Christian Democrats
.
His children, Stefan and Lena Einhorn, are both well-known authors in Sweden. His son is currently head doctor at the Karolinska Institute.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
-born Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
medical doctor, researcher and politician (Kristdemokrat
Christian Democrats (Sweden)
The Christian Democrats ) is a political party in Sweden. The party was founded in 1964 but did not enter parliament until 1985 in an electoral cooperation with the Centre Party and on the Christian Democrats' own accord in 1991. The leader since April 3, 2004 is Göran Hägglund. He succeeded Alf...
). His Hebrew name was Chil Josef, after his paternal grandfather.
Born into a Yiddish-speaking Jewish family, he became a victim of the Holocaust during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He was first sent to the Warsaw Ghetto
Warsaw Ghetto
The Warsaw Ghetto was the largest of all Jewish Ghettos in Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II. It was established in the Polish capital between October and November 15, 1940, in the territory of General Government of the German-occupied Poland, with over 400,000 Jews from the vicinity...
, then to the Częstochowa Ghetto
Częstochowa Ghetto
The Częstochowa Ghetto was a Jewish ghetto set up by Nazi Germany in the city of Częstochowa in south-central Poland, for the purpose of persecution and exploitation of local Jews during the German occupation of Poland. The approximate number of people confined to the ghetto at its beginning was...
outside his hometown, where he was detained at the HASAG-Placery concentration camp between June 1943 and January 1945. He later chronicled his experience there in a book entitled Utvald att leva (English:
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
Chosen to live).
Einhorn graduated from secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
in Częstochowa
Czestochowa
Częstochowa is a city in south Poland on the Warta River with 240,027 inhabitants . It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously the capital of Częstochowa Voivodeship...
in 1945 and began to study medicine at the University of Łódź, then left Poland in 1946 to continue his studies in Denmark. After some Jewish students were killed in Łódź in anti-semitic attacks, Einhorn and his wife decided not to return to Poland and instead sought asylum
Right of asylum
Right of asylum is an ancient juridical notion, under which a person persecuted for political opinions or religious beliefs in his or her own country may be protected by another sovereign authority, a foreign country, or church sanctuaries...
in Sweden.
Einhorn worked at Sweden's prestigious oncological
Oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...
institution, Radiumhemmet at the Karolinska Institute from 1967 till he retired in 1992. He was a professor of radiotherapy and the director of the Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. He was also a member of the Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
Committee in medicine, as well as an honorary member and recipient of the gold medal of the Radiological Society of North America
Radiological Society of North America
The Radiological Society of North America, Inc. is a professional membership society committed to excellence in patient care through education and research...
.
Throughout their lives, both Einhorn and his wife, Nina, were actively involved in Zionist
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
fundraising. During 1991-94, Einhorn was a Swedish MP for the Christian Democrats
Christian Democrats (Sweden)
The Christian Democrats ) is a political party in Sweden. The party was founded in 1964 but did not enter parliament until 1985 in an electoral cooperation with the Centre Party and on the Christian Democrats' own accord in 1991. The leader since April 3, 2004 is Göran Hägglund. He succeeded Alf...
.
His children, Stefan and Lena Einhorn, are both well-known authors in Sweden. His son is currently head doctor at the Karolinska Institute.
Books
- Jerzy Einhorn, Utvald att leva, Bonniers (1996)
- Jerzy Einhorn, Det är människor det handlar om, Bonniers (1998)