Dalck Feith
Encyclopedia
Dalck Feith, father of Douglas Feith
, was a Holocaust survivor who came to America as a refugee and ultimately gained success as a businessman and philanthropist.
Before World War II, he was a member of Betar
(a right-wing Zionist organization) in 1930s Poland
.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer's October 19, 2005 obituary: "Mr. Feith served in the British Merchant Marine before coming to the United States in January 1942. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Merchant Marine. He survived the sinking of three ships, his son said.
At the end of the war, Mr. Feith learned that four of his sisters, his three brothers, his mother, and his father had all perished in the Holocaust.
With financial help from the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, he started a business, Dalco Manufacturing. The Philadelphia firm produced metal components for the electronics industry.
In the 1950s, he began manufacturing materials for Jerrold Electronics, a pioneer in cable television. He eventually became part owner of Jerrold, which was later acquired by General Instruments Corp. He continued to operate Dalco Manufacturing until 1990.
In the 1960s, Mr. Feith was chairman of the committee to construct the Philadelphia Holocaust Memorial. He was later appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the commission to raise funds and oversee the construction of the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington.
In 1997, he and former U.S. Department of Transportation
Secretary Drew Lewis purchased the archives of an Austrian Jewish woman who had survived the Holocaust by marrying a Nazi; they donated the archives to the Holocaust Museum in Washington.
Mr. Feith was former cochairman of the Allied Jewish Appeal in Philadelphia and was an active supporter of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, the Police Athletic League, Boys' Towns of Italy, and the Golden Slipper camps for handicapped children.
In 1978, he received an honorary degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for his support of Jewish organizations. He was past president of the Philadelphia Psychiatric Center."
Douglas Feith
Douglas J. Feith served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy for United States President George W. Bush from July 2001 until August 2005. His official responsibilities included the formulation of defense planning guidance and forces policy, United States Department of Defense relations...
, was a Holocaust survivor who came to America as a refugee and ultimately gained success as a businessman and philanthropist.
Before World War II, he was a member of Betar
Betar
The Betar Movement is a Revisionist Zionist youth movement founded in 1923 in Riga, Latvia, by Vladimir Jabotinsky. It has been traditionally linked to the original Herut and then Likud political parties of Israel, and was closely affiliated with the pre-Israel Revisionist Zionist splinter group...
(a right-wing Zionist organization) in 1930s Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer's October 19, 2005 obituary: "Mr. Feith served in the British Merchant Marine before coming to the United States in January 1942. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Merchant Marine. He survived the sinking of three ships, his son said.
At the end of the war, Mr. Feith learned that four of his sisters, his three brothers, his mother, and his father had all perished in the Holocaust.
With financial help from the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, he started a business, Dalco Manufacturing. The Philadelphia firm produced metal components for the electronics industry.
In the 1950s, he began manufacturing materials for Jerrold Electronics, a pioneer in cable television. He eventually became part owner of Jerrold, which was later acquired by General Instruments Corp. He continued to operate Dalco Manufacturing until 1990.
In the 1960s, Mr. Feith was chairman of the committee to construct the Philadelphia Holocaust Memorial. He was later appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the commission to raise funds and oversee the construction of the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington.
In 1997, he and former U.S. Department of Transportation
Department of Transportation
The Department of Transportation is the most common name for a government agency in North America devoted to transportation. The largest is the United States Department of Transportation, which oversees interstate travel. All U.S. states, Canadian provinces, and many local agencies also have...
Secretary Drew Lewis purchased the archives of an Austrian Jewish woman who had survived the Holocaust by marrying a Nazi; they donated the archives to the Holocaust Museum in Washington.
Mr. Feith was former cochairman of the Allied Jewish Appeal in Philadelphia and was an active supporter of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, the Police Athletic League, Boys' Towns of Italy, and the Golden Slipper camps for handicapped children.
In 1978, he received an honorary degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for his support of Jewish organizations. He was past president of the Philadelphia Psychiatric Center."