William Eisen

Bill was born in Miechow, Poland, near Krakow. He learned to be a tailor as a young man, while preparing for a career as a rabbi. The latter plans ended when the Nazis invaded Poland. From 1940 to 1945, Bill endured 7 labor and concentration camps, including Buchenwald (where Elie Weisel was a bunkmate). His skills as a tailor helped him survive.

Bill and Sara married in Budapest, Hungary. In 1947, they came to the US and settled in Buffalo, where their sons, Sanford and Bernard, grew up. Bill worked as a tailor and as Manager of the Tailoring Department for many years at Kleinhans. He served on the Board of Temple Beth El (a predecessor of Temple Beth Tzedek) and its Religious and Education Committees; as a board member and speaker for the Buffalo Holocaust Resource Center, where his story is recorded; and as District Deputy Grand Master of the First Erie District of the Masons.

Bill's memoir of Holocaust survival: Two Pounds of Sugar

Bill was honored for his service to Temple Beth El on March 10, 2001. His service included many years as the Ba'al Koreh (Torah reader).