Biography: Mr. Robbie Waisman
by Amy Vaz
Our speaker is Holocaust survivor, Robbie Waisman, born in 1931 in a small Polish town, Skarżysko-­‐Kamienna. He managed to survive the Holocaust in various concentration camps as a slave laborer in ammunition factories. He was liberated at the age of 14 in a group of 903 boys from Buchenwald, among them, Elie Wiesel. Along with his sister Leah, he is the only member of his family who survived the horrors of the Holocaust. After liberation, Mr. Waisman lived in France for four years with the help of the OSE. He eventually settled in Canada, arriving in 1949 in Calgary and subsequently settling in Saskatoon in 1959 with his new bride Gloria Lyons. He became an accountant, entered into the retail closing business, and owned two childrenswear shops and a teen store. Together with Gloria, they raised a son and daughter in Saskatoon, Howard and Arlaina. He served as president of Agudas Israel Synagogue in Saskatoon. In 1976, he became president of B’Nai B’Rith Lodge. After moving to Vancouver, B.C. in 1977, Mr. Waisman became involved in various business ventures, mainly in the hospitality industry. He managed a full facility Hotel for 12 years, supervising 85 employees. He served the B.C. and Yukon Hotel Association as treasurer for several years and subsequently became VP before leaving the industry. He raised funds through the Association for the Variety Club of B.C. to help underprivileged children. Today he & Gloria are the proud grandparents of Ava and Kira, and the whole family lives in Vancouver. In the 1980s, from a photo in a magazine, Mr. Waisman recognized one of his liberators, a former American army soldier of the 183 Combat Engineers Battalion, Dr. Leon Bass of Philadelphia. They reconnected in a very special way and have spoken together at several Holocaust education programs together over the years. Dr. Bass was an African American, who after serving as a liberator of Buchenwald, was an educator for 32 years in Philadelphia’s inner city schools, as well as having been active in the civil rights movement. He was present at Dr. Martin Luther King’s march on Washington. Mr. Waisman started speaking actively around the same time as he met Dr. Bass, after hearing an account from a Holocaust denier, after which he could stay silent no more. He speaks on behalf of the 1.5 million children whose voices were silenced by the Holocaust, all four of his brothers among them. It was his privilege to be joined by Dr. Bass when they spoke together. Sadly, Dr. Bass passed away March 28, 2015 at the age of 90. On April 14, 2014, Mr. Waisman was awarded the Governor General's Caring Canadian Award, which recognizes individuals who volunteer their time to help others and to build a smarter and more caring nation. He has received thousands of letters – most of them from young people – telling him how the experience of meeting him has changed their lives and caused them to commit themselves to humanitarianism and social justice. He continues to inspire students and adults alike, speaking locally through the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, of which he is past president, and nationally and internationally through many other organizations. He recently returned to Germany to participate in the 70th anniversary and commemoration of the liberation of Buchenwald, April 11, 2015. He continues to be in contact with the fellow survivors from his group, the boys from Buchenwald, now scattered around the world, who faithfully call each other annually to remember their day of liberation.