Remembering Leo Rechter

Leo Rechter, a widely loved and respected Holocaust survivor leader, passed away in New York on Friday at the age of 93. Leo was the founding Secretary of the Holocaust Survivors Foundation USA (HSF), and served on its board of directors and executive committee since the group’s founding. Leo also served as the long-time President of the National Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors (NAHOS), and publisher of the NAHOS Newsletter, the authoritative voice of grass roots Holocaust survivors in the United States. At its peak, the NAHOS Newsletter had thousands of subscribers among survivors, community leaders, and public officials in 20 states.

“Leo Rechter was a quintessential survivor. He was determined to rebuild the Jewish world, and show the Nazis who remained, and others who stood by silently, that we were going to fill the void with Jewish children, and fully live the values and traditions of the Jewish people. The survivors and the Jewish community have lost a giant.”

David Schaecter, HSF-USA President

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Watch Leo Rechter's survivor testimony with the USC Shoah Foundation.