With the end of World War II and collapse of the Nazi regime, survivors of the Holocaust faced the daunting task of rebuilding their lives. With little in the way of financial resources and few, if any, surviving family members, most eventually emigrated from Europe to start their lives again.
Thomas's journey brought him to the United States.
Thomas at age 13 months
Thomas at age 13 months with his father, Mundek Buergenthal. Czechoslovakia, June 1935.
Item ViewThomas's parents, Mundek and Gerda
Thomas Buergenthal's parents, Mundek and Gerda (b. 1912). Czechoslovakia, 1933 or 1934.
With the end of World War II and collapse of the Nazi regime, survivors of the Holocaust faced the daunting task of rebuilding their lives. With little in the way of financial resources and few, if any, surviving family members, most eventually emigrated from Europe to start their lives again. Between 1945 and 1952, more than 80,000 Holocaust survivors immigrated to the United States. Thomas was one of them.
Item ViewThree-year-old Thomas during a stay at a hotel in Czechoslovakia
Three-year-old Thomas Buergenthal during a stay at a hotel in Czechoslovakia, 1937.
With the end of World War II and collapse of the Nazi regime, survivors of the Holocaust faced the daunting task of rebuilding their lives. With little in the way of financial resources and few, if any, surviving family members, most eventually emigrated from Europe to start their lives again. Between 1945 and 1952, more than 80,000 Holocaust survivors immigrated to the United States. Thomas was one of them.
Item ViewThree-year-old Thomas Buergenthal with his parents
Three-year-old Thomas Buergenthal with his parents, Mundek and Gerda. Czechoslovakia, June 1937.
With the end of World War II and collapse of the Nazi regime, survivors of the Holocaust faced the daunting task of rebuilding their lives. With little in the way of financial resources and few, if any, surviving family members, most eventually emigrated from Europe to start their lives again. Between 1945 and 1952, more than 80,000 Holocaust survivors immigrated to the United States. Thomas was one of them.
Item ViewThomas in his toy car
Photograph of a young Thomas Buergenthal posing in his toy car as his mother sits alongside. 1936.
Item ViewThomas Buergenthal with the soldier who realized that Thomas was Jewish and took him to an orphanage
Thomas (left), 6 months after liberation, with a soldier who realized that Thomas was Jewish and took him to an orphanage, ca. 1945. Thomas was eventually reunited with his mother.
With the end of World War II and collapse of the Nazi regime, survivors of the Holocaust faced the daunting task of rebuilding their lives. With little in the way of financial resources and few, if any, surviving family members, most eventually emigrated from Europe to start their lives again. Between 1945 and 1952, more than 80,000 Holocaust survivors immigrated to the United States. Thomas was one of them.
Item ViewThomas Buergenthal with his mother, Gerda, in Goettingen
Thomas Buergenthal with his mother, Gerda, in Goettingen, Germany, 1950.
With the end of World War II and collapse of the Nazi regime, survivors of the Holocaust faced the daunting task of rebuilding their lives. With little in the way of financial resources and few, if any, surviving family members, most eventually emigrated from Europe to start their lives again. Between 1945 and 1952, more than 80,000 Holocaust survivors immigrated to the United States. Thomas was one of them.
Item ViewThomas with his mother, Gerda, before Thomas's departure for the United States
Thomas Buergenthal with his mother, Gerda, before Thomas's departure for the United States. Bad Neuheim, Germany, summer 1951.
With the end of World War II and collapse of the Nazi regime, survivors of the Holocaust faced the daunting task of rebuilding their lives. With little in the way of financial resources and few, if any, surviving family members, most eventually emigrated from Europe to start their lives again. Between 1945 and 1952, more than 80,000 Holocaust survivors immigrated to the United States. Thomas was one of them.
Item ViewThomas Buergenthal after arriving in the United States
Thomas (standing, right), then known as "Tommy," with relatives shortly after arriving in the United States. New Jersey, ca. 1952.
With the end of World War II and collapse of the Nazi regime, survivors of the Holocaust faced the daunting task of rebuilding their lives. With little in the way of financial resources and few, if any, surviving family members, most eventually emigrated from Europe to start their lives again. Between 1945 and 1952, more than 80,000 Holocaust survivors immigrated to the United States. Thomas was one of them.
Item ViewThomas Buergenthal at New York University
Thomas Buergenthal as a student at New York University, 1957–60.
With the end of World War II and collapse of the Nazi regime, survivors of the Holocaust faced the daunting task of rebuilding their lives. With little in the way of financial resources and few, if any, surviving family members, most eventually emigrated from Europe to start their lives again. Between 1945 and 1952, more than 80,000 Holocaust survivors immigrated to the United States. Thomas was one of them.
Item ViewThomas as a law student
Thomas Buergenthal as a law student, 1959–60.
With the end of World War II and collapse of the Nazi regime, survivors of the Holocaust faced the daunting task of rebuilding their lives. With little in the way of financial resources and few, if any, surviving family members, most eventually emigrated from Europe to start their lives again. Between 1945 and 1952, more than 80,000 Holocaust survivors immigrated to the United States. Thomas was one of them.
Item ViewThomas Buergenthal with his first wife, Dorothy
Thomas with his first wife, Dorothy, at the Zeta Tau Alpha Spring Formal, 1957.
With the end of World War II and collapse of the Nazi regime, survivors of the Holocaust faced the daunting task of rebuilding their lives. With little in the way of financial resources and few, if any, surviving family members, most eventually emigrated from Europe to start their lives again. Between 1945 and 1952, more than 80,000 Holocaust survivors immigrated to the United States. Thomas was one of them.
Item ViewJudge Thomas Buergenthal
Judge Thomas Buergenthal, member of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, San Jose, Costa Rica, 1980.
Item ViewPhotograph of Thomas Buergenthal's mother
Photograph taken in 1984 of Thomas Buergenthal's mother, Gerda, then in her early 70s.
Item ViewJudge Thomas Buergenthal with members of the Inter-American Court of Justice
Judge Thomas Buergenthal (front row, right) with other members of the Inter-American Court of Justice in San Jose, Costa Rica. Thomas served from 1979–91 and was president from 1985-1987. San Jose, Costa Rica, 1980.
Item ViewJimmy Carter, Thomas Buergenthal, and Andrew Young
From left to right: former US President Jimmy Carter, Judge Thomas Buergenthal, former UN ambassador Andrew Young. Judge Buergenthal was the director of the human rights program for the Carter Center from 1986–89.
Item ViewThomas Buergenthal at Auschwitz in 1995
Thomas Buergenthal at Auschwitz in 1995, fifty years to the day after his forced march out of the camp as a child. Poland, 1995.
With the end of World War II and collapse of the Nazi regime, survivors of the Holocaust faced the daunting task of rebuilding their lives. With little in the way of financial resources and few, if any, surviving family members, most eventually emigrated from Europe to start their lives again. Between 1945 and 1952, more than 80,000 Holocaust survivors immigrated to the United States. Thomas was one of them.
Item ViewThomas Buergenthal with his first grandchild
Thomas with his first grandchild, Eliza. 1996.
With the end of World War II and collapse of the Nazi regime, survivors of the Holocaust faced the daunting task of rebuilding their lives. With little in the way of financial resources and few, if any, surviving family members, most eventually emigrated from Europe to start their lives again. Between 1945 and 1952, more than 80,000 Holocaust survivors immigrated to the United States. Thomas was one of them.
Item ViewThomas's three sons and granddaughter
Thomas Buergenthal's three sons, Robert, John (holding daughter Eliza), and Alan. 1996.
With the end of World War II and collapse of the Nazi regime, survivors of the Holocaust faced the daunting task of rebuilding their lives. With little in the way of financial resources and few, if any, surviving family members, most eventually emigrated from Europe to start their lives again. Between 1945 and 1952, more than 80,000 Holocaust survivors immigrated to the United States. Thomas was one of them.
Item ViewJudge Thomas Buergenthal and members of the United Nations Human Rights Committee
Judge Thomas Buergenthal (top row, fifth from left) and other members of the United Nations Human Rights Committee. 1995.
Item ViewFormal portrait of Judge Thomas Buergenthal
Judge Thomas Buergenthal, formal portrait for the International Court of Justice in the Hague. ca. 2003.
Item ViewPhotograph of Thomas Buergenthal with his wife, Peggy
Photograph of Thomas with his wife, Peggy.
With the end of World War II and collapse of the Nazi regime, survivors of the Holocaust faced the daunting task of rebuilding their lives. With little in the way of financial resources and few, if any, surviving family members, most eventually emigrated from Europe to start their lives again. Between 1945 and 1952, more than 80,000 Holocaust survivors immigrated to the United States. Thomas was one of them.
Item View