This ORT diploma was written in Italian on March 12, 1948. It was presented to Jehoszua (Sidney) Zoltak for his completion of an electrician course in the Cremona (Italy) displaced persons camp.
The Zoltak family during the war
The Zoltak family was forced to live in the Siemiatycze ghetto in Poland. When it was liquidated in November 1942, they went into hiding and moved frequently to avoid suspicion. The family eventually found an open barn and with the help of the farmer, stayed there until liberation. After the war, Sidney returned to Poland to finish his studies. His family and he later went to stay in displaced persons camps in Italy. Sidney’s father died in 1945 and in 1948, his mother and he immigrated to Canada where she had relatives.
Professional Training for Holocaust Survivors
After having spent years in concentration camps, many young men and women were robbed of the opportunity to complete their studies. Organisations like the ORT (“Organisation for Rehabilitation through Training’’) offered technical training in displaced persons camps throughout Europe to help prepare survivors for their return to a normal life.
Sidney Zoltak donated this document to the Montreal Holocaust Museum in 2001.
This project is part of the implementation of the Plan culturel numérique du Québec.