Holocaust Survivor and Eloquent Educator, Saved by Polish Righteous Among the Nations
1931 – 2026
The International March of the Living mourns the passing of Sidney Zoltak, Holocaust survivor and educator.
Sidney accompanied Montreal students on the March of the Living six times, eloquently sharing his moving story and expressive voice with them, as well as with students from across Canada.
In addition to his work with the March of the Living, Sidney volunteered decades of his life with the Montreal Holocaust Museum, the Canadian Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants, and the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Hidden in a Barn
Sidney Zoltak was born in 1931 and grew up in the village of Siemiatycze in eastern Poland. During the Holocaust, at the age of 11, he escaped to live in the forest. He was eventually sheltered in a barn for 14 months by the Krynski family.
In 2011, after Sidney’s tireless efforts, Yad Vashem bestowed the title of Righteous Among the Nations on members of the Krynski family.
Returning Home
As recounted in the book Witness: Passing the Torch of Holocaust Memory to New Generations, Sidney returned to his hometown during his 2014 trip with the March of the Living to reunite with remaining members of the Krynski family. On the same trip, he shared part of his story at Treblinka, where nearly one million Jews were murdered, in front of hundreds of March of the Living students from Montreal and in the presence of the son of his rescuer.
He told them that of all his classmates, he was the only one who survived.
“When we got back to our hometown, less than one percent had survived. Less than 70 from a community of 7,000. The most difficult part for me was that none of my classmates, none of my friends survived. I am the only one. I think about it. The only reunion I can have is in this place among the memorial stones….”
Sidney Zoltak
Then, turning to Stanislaw Krynski, the son of his rescuer, he said, “I feel like kissing him.”
A Reunion with His Rescuer
Eli Rubenstein, Director of Education for the International March of the Living, recalled the 2014 reunion between Sidney and Zygmunt as a singularly moving moment. At the time, he told Zygmunt Krynski:
“Our tradition says, if you save one life, you save the entire world. I want to thank you on behalf of the March of the Living for not just saving Sidney and his family, but for giving us hope in humanity. Your courage, your bravery is a story we will share with thousands of students around the world. So we can teach them that the world we want to create is not the world that Hitler wanted to build, of endless hate and division and animosity, but the kind of world that you tried to build, of nobility, of sacrifice and courage. So thank you again for helping us give the young people hope in humanity.”
Eli Rubenstein
To which Sidney added:
“I would like to add something. Any Jew that passed by this house always got some sort of help, whether it was food or water or maybe a little time to rest. So, his family, his parents, were righteous way, way, way back, not only to the seven of us who eventually survived, but for many other Jews….”
Sidney Zoltak
Remembering Holocaust Survivor Sidney Zoltak & His Rescuer Zygmunt Krynski. Watch on YouTube
Sidney and Zygmunt’s reunion was captured by the CBC and the March of the Living Digital Archive Project, both of which included the scene in documentaries they created on Sidney’s life.
The Documentaries
Evan Zelikovitz, the lay founder of the March of the Living Digital Archive Project, reflected on his friendship with Sidney:
“I feel privileged to have gotten to know Sidney during our many trips together on the March of the Living. He was both a dear friend and a mentor to me. Sidney felt this extraordinary responsibility to educate others and tell his family’s story of survival, and he did that in such an eloquent and meaningful way. Being able to reunite Sidney and his son Larry in 2014 with Righteous Among the Nations Zygmunt Krynski, who convinced his parents to hide Sidney and his family in their farmhouse in Poland for 16 months, was one of the most emotional and meaningful experiences of my life. And then to have the CBC film share a nationally televised special on it for the entire country to see was incredibly moving.”
Evan Zelikovitz
Song of the Partisans
Sidney at the 2013 Canadian March of the Living program honoring survivors, partisans and Righteous Among the Nations, University of Warsaw, April 6, 2013.
Video not loading? Watch on YouTube
A Bond That Endures
Upon learning of Sidney’s passing, Rafal Krynski, Zygmunt Krynski’s grandson, wrote a condolence note to the Zoltak family on the website of the Claims Conference:
“My deepest condolences to you and your family. Sidney will always hold a special place in our hearts. The bond between our families will never be forgotten. May he rest in peace.”
Rafal Krynski
Sidney’s son Larry replied:
“Your grandfather and great-grandparents are the reason I am alive, and for this we will never ever forget their kindness and are forever in their debt.”
Larry Zoltak
As the rabbis of old taught us: The righteous need no monuments — it is the lessons they have taught us that are their true memorials. May the life of Sidney Zoltak, and the lessons it still teaches, continue to provide comfort to his family and inspiration to all who had the privilege of knowing him.
Baruch Dayan Emet
May his memory be a blessing.
