HSF Holocaust Survivors’ Foundation – USA
USA
Member Organizations
(Partial List)
Amer. Assn. of Jewish Holocaust
Survivors of Greater Boston
Assn. of Holocaust Survivors from
Former USSR, Los Angeles
C.A.N.D.L.E.S., Terre Haute, IN
Child Survivors of Arizona
Child Survivors/Hidden Children of
the Holocaust
Coalition of Holocaust Survivor
Clubs in South Florida
Council of Nazi Holocaust Survivor
Organizations of So. California
Habonim Cultural Club, Miami
Holocaust Child Survivors &
Friends of Greater Hartford
Holocaust Survivors Club of
Boca Raton
Holocaust Survivors of
Greater Detroit
Holocaust Survivors of
Greater Pittsburgh
Holocaust Survivors of
South Florida
Holocaust Survivors Group of
Southern Nevada
Houston Council of
Jewish Holocaust Survivors
The Jewish Holocaust Survivors &
Friends of Greater Washington
Jewish Survivors of Latvia, Inc.
New York
National Assn. of Jewish Child
Holocaust Survivors, Inc.
New American Jewish Social Club,
Miami
New Cracow Friendship Society,
New York
Survivors of Atlantic City, NJ
Survivors of the Holocaust Asset
Recovery Project, Seattle
Survivors of the Holocaust of
New Mexico
Tikvah Acharay Hashoah,
San Francisco
PHONE (305) 231-0221 Ext. 243
Holocaust Survivors Foundation USA Statement
On the Passing of Leo Rechter, z’l
February 22, 2021
Contact: David Schaecter, HSF President – (305) 742-8501
Samuel J. Dubbin, HSF Counsel – (305) 815-8060
Leo Rechter, a widely loved and respected Holocaust survivor leader, passed
away in New York on Friday at the age of 93. Leo was the founding Secretary of the
Holocaust Survivors Foundation USA (HSF), and served on its board of directors and
executive committee since the group’s founding. Leo also served as the long-time
President of the National Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors (NAHOS), and
publisher of the NAHOS Newsletter, the authoritative voice of grass roots Holocaust
survivors in the United States. At its peak, the NAHOS Newsletter had thousands of
subscribers among survivors, community leaders, and public officials in 20 states.
According to Leo’s family: “Leo’s phone was always ringing, and his email was
always full, as survivors from near and far frequently reached out to him for guidance
in obtaining financial support from their country of origin.”
Along with other HSF leaders, Leo undertook many ambitious missions for
survivors that often challenged entrenched interests. These included his 2007
testimony to Congress, urging support to open up the Bad Arolsen, Germany,
Holocaust archives so every survivor could get full information and closure regarding
the fate of their families during the Holocaust; battling the Conference on Jewish
Material Claims Against Germany to use the resources in its control support living
survivors in need and require transparency in its operations; challenging Germany to
fully fund survivors’ needs directly and comprehensively; and fighting for the rights of
Holocaust survivors and heirs to sue European insurance companies who refused to
honor their pre-WWII life insurance policies.
HSF President David Schaecter said: “Leo Rechter was a quintessential
survivor. He was determined to rebuild the Jewish world, and show the Nazis who
remained, and others who stood by silently, that we were going to fill the void with
Jewish children, and fully live the values and traditions of the Jewish people. The
survivors and the Jewish community have lost a giant.”
Leo was born to Jossel and Jyte Rechter, in Vienna, Austria, in 1927. Following
Kristallnacht, and after a brutal beating of his father by local authorities, Leo and his
family fled their home in Vienna, escaping to Brussels, Belgium, leaving all their
worldly possessions behind. Following the Nazi invasion of Belgium, his father was
captured and ultimately transferred to the Auschwitz death camp, where he was killed.
After the loss of his father at age 12, Leo spent the rest of the War in Brussels in
hiding, as the sole support for his family. There they remained, running from secret
place to secret place. Always just ahead of the Gestapo and local authorities, they were
almost apprehended a number of times, but for Leo’s cunning and in some cases blind
fortune. Because of his light complexion, blond hair and blue-eyes, Leo avoided
“JUSTICE
Endorsed by the AND DIGNITY FOR
Coordinating SURVIVORS”
Council of Generations of the Shoah
International (GSI)
5979 N.W. 151 Street, Miami Lakes, FL 33014 FAX (305) 231-4242
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE GO TO: www.hsf-usa.org
 HSF Holocaust Survivors’ Foundation – USA
USA
Member Organizations
(Partial List)
Amer. Assn. of Jewish Holocaust
Survivors of Greater Boston
Assn. of Holocaust Survivors from
Former USSR, Los Angeles
C.A.N.D.L.E.S., Terre Haute, IN
Child Survivors of Arizona
Child Survivors/Hidden Children of
the Holocaust
Coalition of Holocaust Survivor
Clubs in South Florida
Council of Nazi Holocaust Survivor
Organizations of So. California
Habonim Cultural Club, Miami
Holocaust Child Survivors &
Friends of Greater Hartford
Holocaust Survivors Club of
Boca Raton
Holocaust Survivors of
Greater Detroit
Holocaust Survivors of
Greater Pittsburgh
Holocaust Survivors of
South Florida
Holocaust Survivors Group of
Southern Nevada
Houston Council of
Jewish Holocaust Survivors
The Jewish Holocaust Survivors &
Friends of Greater Washington
Jewish Survivors of Latvia, Inc.
New York
National Assn. of Jewish Child
Holocaust Survivors, Inc.
New American Jewish Social Club,
Miami
New Cracow Friendship Society,
New York
Survivors of Atlantic City, NJ
Survivors of the Holocaust Asset
Recovery Project, Seattle
Survivors of the Holocaust of
New Mexico
Tikvah Acharay Hashoah,
San Francisco
PHONE (305) 231-0221 Ext. 243
Statement on Passing of Leo Rechter
February 22, 2021
Page 2
capture by the Nazis when out, by effectively hiding in plain sight. Leo always put his
mother and 2 younger siblings first, doing everything he could to provide for them and
keep them safe. Among other things, to try and support the family he sold black market
bread, old clothing that his mother and sister refurbished at home, and peddled
cigarettes made from discarded butts.
After the war, Leo went to Israel, where he met the love of his life, Fortunee
(Toni), who had previously fled to Israel from Iraq. In 1958, Leo and Fortunee decided
to seek out a new life in the United States, and moved to New York, were married, and
started a new life together. There he studied to get his bachelor’s degree at night,
followed by obtaining his MBA, Summa Cum Laude. All of that accomplished while
working full time as a waiter at Sardi’s to support his family.
After graduation, Leo began a career with Chase Bank in International Finance,
retiring at age 65. Immediately after his retirement, Leo was able to put his fluency in
six languages to use as a volunteer for Shoah Foundation Project, traveling around the
region to interview and record for posterity, the remembrances of over 100 survivors.
It was during these interactions that he was struck by how many fellow survivors were
impoverished, hungry, and unable to afford even life’s basic necessities. That
experience propelled him to a second, albeit volunteer career; leader and activist for
impoverished survivors around New York, the US, and the world. He spent the next
twenty-five years as President of the National Association of Jewish Child Holocaust
Survivors (NAHOS), and later helped found HSF and served as its Secretary.
Samuel J. Dubbin, HSF’s counsel, said: “Leo Rechter was a wonderful and
unassuming man, with tremendous integrity. He approached every issue deliberately,
and with intelligence and wisdom. When Leo took a stand for survivors’ rights,
interests, and needs, those on the other side were invariably outmatched, and knew it.”
In 2016, The Blue Card Foundation in New York City honored Leo for his
extraordinary efforts to support the Blue Card’s important mission of providing direct
financial assistance to needy Holocaust survivors. His family has asked that any
donations in his name be directed to the Blue Card, in memory of Leo Rechter, at
www.BlueCardFund.org.
Leo is survived by his wife of 63 years of Fortunee (Toni) Rechter, children
Debbie (Fred) Rechter Lawson, Ora (Kenneth) Glass, and Gila (Itamar) Malchi;
Grandfather of Sarah, Rebecca, and Julia Lawson, Andrew and Ryan Glass, and Yaniv,
Tomer, and Erez Malchi; Great Grandfather of Tamar, Ela, Oded, Maya, Noah,
Danielle, Alon, and Yair; and his sister Edith Levy and brother Lucien Rechter.
Rabbi David Levy (Leo’s nephew) will officiate at a family graveside service.
Zoom Shiva date and time to come.
“JUSTICE AND DIGNITY FOR SURVIVORS”
5979 N.W. 151 Street, Miami Lakes, FL 33014 FAX (305) 231-4242
 HSF Holocaust Survivors’ Foundation – USA
USA
Member Organizations Statement on Passing of Leo Rechter
(Partial List) February 22, 2021
Amer. Assn. of Jewish Holocaust Page 3
Survivors of Greater Boston

Assn. of Holocaust Survivors from

Former USSR, Los Angeles
C.A.N.D.L.E.S., Terre Haute, IN
Child Survivors of Arizona
Child Survivors/Hidden Children of
the Holocaust
Coalition of Holocaust Survivor
Clubs in South Florida
Memorial Contributions may be made to:
The Blue Card
In Memory of Leo Rechter
171 Madison Avenue, Suite #1405
New York, NY 10016
Online at: www.BlueCardFund.org

Council of Nazi Holocaust Survivor

Organizations of So. California The Holocaust Survivors Foundation USA Executive Committee:
Habonim Cultural Club, Miami
Israel Arbeiter, Boston, MA Dena Axelrod, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Holocaust Child Survivors &
Magda Bader, Boston, MA Renee Firestone, Los Angeles, CA
Friends of Greater Hartford Esther Finder, Las Vegas, NV Ella Frumkin, Los Angeles, CA
Jay Ipson, Richmond, VA Herbert Karliner, Miami Beach, FL
Holocaust Survivors Club of
Boca Raton Agnes Vertes, Weston, CT Annette Lantos, Washington, D.C.
David Mermelstein, Miami, FL Wendy Rothfield, Miami Beach, FL
Holocaust Survivors of
Greater Detroit Shirley Rubin, Boynton Beach, FL Anita Schuster, Las Vegas, NV
David Schaecter, Miami, FL Charles Srebnick, New York, NY
Holocaust Survivors of
Greater Pittsburgh Esther Widman, Brooklyn, NY Louise Lawrence-Israels, Wash. D.C.
Holocaust Survivors of
South Florida
For More Information, please go to: www.hsf-usa.org
Holocaust Survivors Group of
Southern Nevada

Houston Council of
Jewish Holocaust Survivors

The Jewish Holocaust Survivors &

Friends of Greater Washington

Jewish Survivors of Latvia, Inc.

New York

National Assn. of Jewish Child

Holocaust Survivors, Inc.

New American Jewish Social Club,

Miami

New Cracow Friendship Society,

New York

Survivors of Atlantic City, NJ

Survivors of the Holocaust Asset

Recovery Project, Seattle

Survivors of the Holocaust of

New Mexico

Tikvah Acharay Hashoah,

San Francisco “JUSTICE AND DIGNITY FOR SURVIVORS”

PHONE (305) 231-0221 Ext. 243 5979 N.W. 151 Street, Miami Lakes, FL 33014 FAX (305) 231-4242