DR. EMANUEL PAT

DR. EMANUEL PAT (September 19, 1912-1971)

            He was born in Bialystok, Poland.  He received both a secular Jewish and a general education.  He studied medicine at Warsaw University, and from 1936 until WWII he was a doctor in a Warsaw children’s hospital on Śliska Street.  In September 1939, during the Nazi invasion of Poland, he left for Vilna, and from there he traveled through the Soviet Union and Japan before arriving in the United States in September 1940.  There he enhanced his medical knowledge.  In 1944 he volunteered with the medical corps of the American army in Europe.  He was among the first Jewish writers to report on the Nazi death camps and to compile lists of the survivors.  From his early youth he was active in Jewish community political and cultural life, initially in Poland and later in America.  He was also a popular lecturer, journalist, and speaker.  He led self-education circles, seminars, relaxing camps for children in the organizations “Tsukunft” (Future) and SKIF (Sotsyalistishe kinder farband, or Socialist children’s union), and in America as a member of the New York committee of the Bund and in the youth Bund “Tsukunft” where he worked for a more positive attitude of the Bund toward Jewish community life in America and for an amicable socialist relationship to the state of Israel.  He wrote about these matters in the Bundist press, and his articles aroused numerous polemics and commentary throughout the Jewish world.  His first published word was a piece, “Der linkoln-tunel in nyu-york” (The Lincoln Tunnel in New York), in Naye folkstsaytung (New people’s newspaper) in Warsaw (1926).  He also wrote for the Bundist and the general Yiddish and non-Yiddish publications: Naye folkstsaytung, Kleyne folkstsaytung (Little people’s newspaper) for which he was for a time secretary of the editorial board, Vokhnshriftn far literatur (Weekly writing for literature), Khavershaft (Friendship) of which he was also co-editor, Yugnt-veker (Youth alarm), and Foroys (Onward), among others, in Warsaw; Tsukunft (Future), Unzer tsayt (Our time), Tog (Day), Tog-morgn-zhurnal (Day-morning journal), Veker (Alarm), Kultur un dertsiung (Culture and education), Faktn un meynungen (Facts and opinions), and Yivo-bleter (Pages from YIVO), among others, in New York; Di goldene keyt (The golden chain), Lebns-fragn (Life issues), and Letste nayes (Latest news) in Tel Aviv; Unzer shtime (Our voice) and Folks-gezunt (People’s health) in Paris; Di prese (The press) in Buenos Aires; Dorem afrike (South Africa) in Johannesburg; and Unzer gedank in Melbourne; among other serials.  He also wrote for such English-language serials as: Point of View and The Workmen’s Circle Call in New York.  Some of his speeches are included in the anthology: Takones far skif-organizatsyes (Rules for SKIF organizations) (Warsaw, 1937); and Yidn nokh der milkhome (Jews after the war) (New York, 1942).  In book form: Hantbikhl far skif-helfer (Handbook for SKIF helpers) (Warsaw, 1938), 16 pp.; Yidishe kinder tsurik tsum lebn (Jewish children back to life) (New York, 1946), 58 pp.; Afn shedveg, haynttsaytike problemen fun yidishn natsyonaln kiem (At the crossroad, contemporary issues for Jewish national existence) (Munich, 1947), 16 pp.; Yidn untern ayzernem farhang (Jews behind the Iron Curtain) (New York, 1949), 51 pp., also appeared in English; Yidn in amerike, organizatsye, institutsyes un problemen (Jews in America, organizations, institutions, and problems) (New York, 1951), 62 pp.; Briv keyn medines-yisroel (Letters to the state of Israel) (Tel Aviv, 1955), 186 pp., for which he received the Surovitch Prize  from the World Jewish Culture Congress; Harts-krankheytn, harts-felern, hoykher blut-druk, di gefar fun harts-atakn (Heart diseases, heart imperfections, high blood pressure, the danger of heart attacks) (Tel Aviv, 1966), 503 pp.; In gerangl, yankev pat un zayn dor (In struggle: Yankev Pat and his generation) (New York, 1971), 639 pp.  On several occasions he visited Europe, Latin America, and the state of Israel.  He published his articles on medicine in: Tog (Day) and Tog-morgn-zhurnal in New York.  They were written in a popular style and were widely read among all classes of readers.  From 1960 he was chairman of the Workmen’s Circle Culture House in the Bronx.

Sources: A. Glants-Leyeles, in Tog (New York) (March 31, 1954; February 1956); A. Lev, in Letste nayes (Tel Aviv) (October 7, 1955); Z. Dyamont, in Der veker (New York) (January 15, 1956); Dr. E. Naks, in Tsukunft (New York) (February 1956); E. Novogrudzki, in Unzer tsayt (New York) (April 1956); Dr. A. Mukdoni, in Kultur un dertsiung (New York) (May 21, 1956); Sh. Rozhanski, in Yidishe tsaytung (Buenos Aires) (July 26, 1956; August 8, 1956); Mortkhe Yofe, in Haboker (Tel Aviv) (November 4, 1956); A. V. Yasni, in Letste nayes (December 22, 1956); Y. Botoshanski, in Di prese (Buenos Aires) (January 14, 1963); Yankev Goldshteyn, in Keneder odler (Montreal) (December 23, 1966).

Khayim Leyb Fuks