Felix Zandman
Encyclopedia
Dr. Felix Zandman, Ph.D. (May 7, 1927 – June 4, 2011) was the founder and chief technology officer of Vishay Intertechnology
– one of the world's largest providers of electronic components. From 1946 to 1949 he studied in France at the University of Nancy physics and engineering. In parallel, he was enrolled in a Grande École of engineering E.N.S.E.M (Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Electricité et de Mécanique). He received a Ph.D. at the Sorbonne
as a physicist on a subject of photoelasticity. He was awarded the Edward Longstreth Medal from the Franklin Institute
in 1962.
, then in eastern Poland
.
In October 1941, at the age of 14 he arrived at the Grodno Ghetto
(liquidated at the end of 1942) with parents, sisters, grandparents and many other relatives. He survived the Holocaust
thanks to a family of Polish Righteous
Jan and Anna Puchalski
who hid him and his uncle for 17 months. Their main hiding place was a dugout 170 cm long, 150 cm wide and, only 120 cm tall.
Felix Zandman shared this hideaway with three other Jewish refugees. One of them, his uncle Sender Freydowicz, taught him trigonometry, and advanced mathematics in the long hours of darkness.
The advanced Soviet Army liberated them in July 1944. With other survivors, he remained for a short time in Poland. In the summer of 1946, Zandman was able to emigrate legally to France
.
In 1956, Zandman presented his methods and self-developed instruments for the first time in the U.S.. He was able to establish important contacts with leading professors and well-known users of its specific field. He was eventually employed by the company Tatnall Measuring Systems in Philadelphia as director of basic research. Initially, he concentrated on measuring the development of his case, voltages of optical coatings. Then he developed a temperature-resistant electrical resistance. His employer, however, had no interest in the marketing of this invention.
, Inc. His relative, Alfred P. Slaner, provided financial support for the initial funding.
The company has developed into a Fortune 1000 company with many subsidiaries and over 22,000 employees worldwide. Vishay Intertechnology (NYSE: VSH) is a publicly traded company with a market capitalization of over a billion dollars.
Vishay Intertechnology
Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. , is one of the world's largest manufacturers of discrete semiconductors and passive electronic components. Vishay has manufacturing plants in Israel, Asia, Europe, and the Americas where it produces rectifiers, diodes, MOSFETs, optoelectronics, selected integrated...
– one of the world's largest providers of electronic components. From 1946 to 1949 he studied in France at the University of Nancy physics and engineering. In parallel, he was enrolled in a Grande École of engineering E.N.S.E.M (Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Electricité et de Mécanique). He received a Ph.D. at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
as a physicist on a subject of photoelasticity. He was awarded the Edward Longstreth Medal from the Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.-History:On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and...
in 1962.
As A Child
Felix Zandman was born in Grodno, BelarusBelarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, then in eastern Poland
Kresy
The Polish term Kresy refers to a land considered by Poles as historical eastern provinces of their country. Today, it makes western Ukraine, western Belarus, as well as eastern Lithuania, with such major cities, as Lviv, Vilnius, and Hrodna. This territory belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian...
.
In October 1941, at the age of 14 he arrived at the Grodno Ghetto
Grodno Ghetto
Grodno Ghetto was created by Nazi Germans in November 1941, in the city of Hrodna , which was part of the Second Polish Republic until the Soviet invasion of Poland, and subsequently incorporated by the Soviets into the Belarusian SSR...
(liquidated at the end of 1942) with parents, sisters, grandparents and many other relatives. He survived the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
thanks to a family of Polish Righteous
Polish Righteous among the Nations
Polish citizens have the world's highest count of individuals awarded medals of Righteous among the Nations, given by the State of Israel to non-Jews who saved Jews from extermination during the Holocaust...
Jan and Anna Puchalski
Jan and Anna Puchalski
Jan and Anna Puchalski were the Polish husband and wife, who resided in the village of Łosośna in north-eastern Poland on the outskirts of Grodno during the Nazi German occupation of Poland. Together, they rescued Polish Jews from the Holocaust, including escapees from the ghetto in Grodno before...
who hid him and his uncle for 17 months. Their main hiding place was a dugout 170 cm long, 150 cm wide and, only 120 cm tall.
Felix Zandman shared this hideaway with three other Jewish refugees. One of them, his uncle Sender Freydowicz, taught him trigonometry, and advanced mathematics in the long hours of darkness.
The advanced Soviet Army liberated them in July 1944. With other survivors, he remained for a short time in Poland. In the summer of 1946, Zandman was able to emigrate legally to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Professional life as an employee
Zandman worked initially for two years as a lecturer at the Ecole de l'Air, the French Academy of Aeronautics. He then worked as an engineer in his specialty field of voltage measurement for a publicly owned company, which manufactured aircraft engines.In 1956, Zandman presented his methods and self-developed instruments for the first time in the U.S.. He was able to establish important contacts with leading professors and well-known users of its specific field. He was eventually employed by the company Tatnall Measuring Systems in Philadelphia as director of basic research. Initially, he concentrated on measuring the development of his case, voltages of optical coatings. Then he developed a temperature-resistant electrical resistance. His employer, however, had no interest in the marketing of this invention.
Professional life as an entrepreneur
Felix Zandman put the potential of his invention to work. To this end he founded, in 1962, the company Vishay IntertechnologyVishay Intertechnology
Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. , is one of the world's largest manufacturers of discrete semiconductors and passive electronic components. Vishay has manufacturing plants in Israel, Asia, Europe, and the Americas where it produces rectifiers, diodes, MOSFETs, optoelectronics, selected integrated...
, Inc. His relative, Alfred P. Slaner, provided financial support for the initial funding.
The company has developed into a Fortune 1000 company with many subsidiaries and over 22,000 employees worldwide. Vishay Intertechnology (NYSE: VSH) is a publicly traded company with a market capitalization of over a billion dollars.
Further reading
- From Darkness to Photoelasticity Felix Zandman: Scientist, Inventor and Industrialist, Dana Ashkenazi, Galileo 105 (2007).