Palestinian Militants Kill 1,400 in Israel and Take Hostages, Including Holocaust Historian

Palestinian Hamas militants from Gaza have killed at least 1,400 people in Israel and taken over 100 hostages, causing global shockwaves. Particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, where strong Jewish connections and Holocaust memories persist, the hostage-taking of one man has stirred profound distress. This man is Alex Danzig, a 75-year-old Holocaust historian and scholar who has been missing since 7 October.

Who is Alex Danzig?

Danzig has devoted 30 years to Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust remembrance centre, where he has been educating Jews and Poles about the later years of World War Two. Danzig resides in Nir Oz, a kibbutz in southern Israel near Gaza, and his family hasn’t heard from him since the day of the attack.

Born in Poland after the war in 1948, the same year Israel was created, Danzig’s elder sister Edith is a Holocaust survivor. Interestingly, it was a Polish mother and daughter, Maria and Halina Assanowicz, who saved Edith from the Nazis, enabling her parents greater freedom of movement during the occupation. The Assanowiczes were honoured by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations in 1982, the highest recognition Israel gives to non-Jewish saviours of Jews during the Holocaust.

Danzig’s Life and Work

Danzig’s early life was fairly unremarkable. After his parents emigrated to Israel in 1957, he served in the military, joined a left-wing youth organisation, obtained a history degree, and started a family on the kibbutz. His interest in the Holocaust, and particularly in the complexity of Polish-Jewish relations, was sparked during a 1986 trip to Poland, where he visited Auschwitz.

Danzig spent the following decades leading tours to the death camps and teaching Israeli and Polish students. His former colleague, Orit Margilot, describes him as a brilliant communicator who knows how to reach young people and break down barriers. His son, Mati, also praises his teaching ability and impact, stating that thousands of students adore and love him.

The Day of the Attack

Mati, who also resides at Nir Oz, survived the attack and is currently in the relative safety of the Eilat Red Sea resort with other survivors. He recounted the horrific events of that day, when they received an alert that they initially thought was a rocket attack. It was his father who first told him to check messages on a kibbutz chat, where people were discussing the real situation - gunmen had entered the area. As messages about shootings started appearing, it became clear that the attackers were killing or kidnapping anyone they could. Mati and his family spent eight hours fearing they would be next, but the attackers never came for them.