Zahava Burack

Zahava Burack (née Radza, December 14, 1932[1] – September 28, 2001) was a Jewish Holocaust survivor from Poland who went on to become a well-known philanthropist, community leader and political activist in the United States.

After the liberation of occupied Poland in 1945, she was smuggled to Israel, where she lived for twelve years, two of which she spent serving with the Haganah paramilitary organization.

[3] In 1942, at the age of 9, Burack, her parents, and her sisters Miriam and Sarah were forced into hiding after German soldiers instructed the Jewish residents of Nowy Korczyn to march to the railway station for "relocation.

[5] At one point, the Germans in the house were overheard discussing efforts to track down one remaining Jewish family rumored to still be hidden in town.

Jozef was able to spread a rumor in a nearby town that this family had drowned in the Wista River while fleeing the Nazis, and the search was called off.

[5] Burack was given false identity papers that declared her a war orphan and, at no more than 12 years old, was smuggled into the part of Palestine that would soon become the state of Israel.

[5] After twelve years in Israel, Burack moved to the United States in 1958 to work for the Israeli Consulate in New York City.

[5] Burack was politically active for her entire adult life, and used her wealth philanthropically to further Jewish, Israeli, and Democratic Party causes.

"[3] She is known to have worked with the United Jewish Appeal,[9] the Westchester-Putnam Boy Scouts of America Council,[9] the Mental Health Association of Westchester County,[10] and the David Yellin College of Education, among numerous others.

[6] In 1981, Burack ran as a Democrat for a seat in Westchester County government, but was defeated by the Republican incumbent, John L. Messina, by 2,500 votes.

[5] In collaboration with the David Yellin College, Burack arranged for the Macugowskis to be flown to New York for a special recognition ceremony.

The Polish couple was recognized as Righteous Among the Nations, an honorific given by the State of Israel to denote non-Jews who risked their lives to protect and shelter Jewish people during the Holocaust.