Sol Rosenberg (Louisiana businessman)
Encyclopedia
Sol Rosenberg was a Jewish survivor of the German Nazi death and concentration camps who became an industrialist and philanthropist
in Monroe
, northeastern Louisiana
.
After the German invasion of Poland of 1939 Rosenberg lived in the Warsaw Ghetto
set up by the Nazi occupiers of Poland
. The German Nazi regime sent his parents and two sisters to their deaths in 1942, but Rosenberg was one of the very few to escape from the death camp at Treblinka; he returned to Warsaw, where he participated in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
. Rosenberg was then sent to the Dachau concentration camp, where he was liberated by the Allied Powers after the final overthrow of the Nazi regime.
In Poland, Rosenberg met his wife, the former Tola Baron (June 22, 1924-January 12, 2006). The couple emigrated to Louisiana in 1949 and thereafter settled in Monroe were they started the steel company from scratch.
Rosenberg was involved in community affairs and charitable works, being a charter founder of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
in Washington, D.C.
, and the Holocaust Museum Houston
. He was a member of the Monroe Chamber of Commerce
and supported the Booster Club at the University of Louisiana at Monroe
. In 2006, he was awarded the Kitty DeGree Lifetime Business Achievement Award. He played golf
at the Bayou Desiard Country Club
in Monroe, where he made a hole in one at the age of eighty-one.
Rosenberg contributed to youth athletics and the reconstruction of the Jewish Cemetery in Monroe. His friend Jay Marx, a Jewish member of the Monroe City Council, characterized Rosenberg's life as "the American dream. He found his way in a new country and reaped the benefits of this country... He didn't take for granted anything, and he shared plenty. I think all of us will certainly regret his loss but will admire his life.”
"My father was kind of like a Will Rogers
in reverse; he never met a man who didn't like him,” said his son, Jackie Rosenberg in an interview with the Monroe News Star
. The senior Rosenberg remained active in the family's business, Sol's Pipe and Steel
Co., an international company, until cancer
struck.
Rosenberg died at his Monroe residence. In addition to his son Jackie and his wife, Diane, Rosenberg was survived by four other children, Joe Rosenberg and wife, Pam; Herman Rosenberg, Jeannie Wermuth and her husband, Gary, and Terri Rosenberg, and twelve grandchildren. Services were held on February 1, 2009 – one day before what would have been Rosenberg's 83rd birthday – at the Reform Judaism
synagogue
, Temple B'nai Israel, in Monroe. Interment was at the Jewish Cemetery.
Sol’s Story: A Triumph of the Human Spirit by Richard B. Chardkoff, a ULM historian
, tells the story of Rosenberg’s trials and triumphs. His obituary
quotes him, accordingly: "I love the United States. I’m a citizen. I’m proud to be an American, and I’m a good American. Nowhere in the whole world did I find happiness. I find happiness in America."
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
in Monroe
Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...
, northeastern Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
.
After the German invasion of Poland of 1939 Rosenberg lived in 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...
set up by the Nazi occupiers of Poland
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. The German Nazi regime sent his parents and two sisters to their deaths in 1942, but Rosenberg was one of the very few to escape from the death camp at Treblinka; he returned to Warsaw, where he participated in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was the Jewish resistance that arose within the Warsaw Ghetto in German occupied Poland during World War II, and which opposed Nazi Germany's effort to transport the remaining ghetto population to Treblinka extermination camp....
. Rosenberg was then sent to the Dachau concentration camp, where he was liberated by the Allied Powers after the final overthrow of the Nazi regime.
In Poland, Rosenberg met his wife, the former Tola Baron (June 22, 1924-January 12, 2006). The couple emigrated to Louisiana in 1949 and thereafter settled in Monroe were they started the steel company from scratch.
Rosenberg was involved in community affairs and charitable works, being a charter founder of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust. Adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the USHMM provides for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and the Holocaust Museum Houston
Holocaust Museum Houston
The Holocaust Museum Houston, is located in Houston, Texas and was opened in 1996. The museum is located in the Houston Museum District.The museum is the fourth largest Holocaust memorial museum in the United States. The museum's mission is to make people aware of the dangers which prejudice,...
. He was a member of the Monroe Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
and supported the Booster Club at the University of Louisiana at Monroe
University of Louisiana at Monroe
The University of Louisiana at Monroe is a coeducational public university in Monroe, Louisiana and part of the University of Louisiana System.-History:...
. In 2006, he was awarded the Kitty DeGree Lifetime Business Achievement Award. He played golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
at the Bayou Desiard Country Club
Country club
A country club is a private club, often with a closed membership, that typically offers a variety of recreational sports facilities and is located in city outskirts or rural areas. Activities may include, for example, any of golf, tennis, swimming or polo...
in Monroe, where he made a hole in one at the age of eighty-one.
Rosenberg contributed to youth athletics and the reconstruction of the Jewish Cemetery in Monroe. His friend Jay Marx, a Jewish member of the Monroe City Council, characterized Rosenberg's life as "the American dream. He found his way in a new country and reaped the benefits of this country... He didn't take for granted anything, and he shared plenty. I think all of us will certainly regret his loss but will admire his life.”
"My father was kind of like a Will Rogers
Will Rogers
William "Will" Penn Adair Rogers was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, film actor, and one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s....
in reverse; he never met a man who didn't like him,” said his son, Jackie Rosenberg in an interview with the Monroe News Star
Monroe News Star
The News-Star is the principal newspaper of Monroe and northeastern Louisiana. Its circulation area ranges over some dozen parishes from Ruston, the seat of Lincoln Parish, on the west, to Tallulah in Madison Parish on the east, to the Arkansas state line on the north, and to Ferriday in Concordia...
. The senior Rosenberg remained active in the family's business, Sol's Pipe and Steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
Co., an international company, until cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
struck.
Rosenberg died at his Monroe residence. In addition to his son Jackie and his wife, Diane, Rosenberg was survived by four other children, Joe Rosenberg and wife, Pam; Herman Rosenberg, Jeannie Wermuth and her husband, Gary, and Terri Rosenberg, and twelve grandchildren. Services were held on February 1, 2009 – one day before what would have been Rosenberg's 83rd birthday – at the Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...
synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
, Temple B'nai Israel, in Monroe. Interment was at the Jewish Cemetery.
Sol’s Story: A Triumph of the Human Spirit by Richard B. Chardkoff, a ULM historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, tells the story of Rosenberg’s trials and triumphs. His obituary
Obituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
quotes him, accordingly: "I love the United States. I’m a citizen. I’m proud to be an American, and I’m a good American. Nowhere in the whole world did I find happiness. I find happiness in America."