Background

Henry Lilienheim was born on March 8, 1908, in Warsaw, Poland.

Education

Henry Lilienheim received a master's degree in engineering from the École Superieure in France in 1939. Also, he received a law degree from John Marshall Law School in 1960.

Career

Henry Lilienheim was a survivor of the Holocaust who later wrote about his experiences in his autobiography. After graduating in 1939, he returned to his native Warsaw and was captured by the Germans after the Nazis invaded Poland. Henry and his wife, Lydia, escaped Nazi and Soviet occupation forces during World War II several times. They were later imprisoned again and sent to separate Nazi camps until the close of the war. Later, Henry and Lydia found each other in 1945, and after the war spent four years living in Munich.

In 1949 the Lilienheims moved to New York. Henry spoke nine languages and got a job as a translator for the law firm Langner, Parry, Card & Langner (now Ladas & Parry). Then, he relocated to Chicago in 1956, where he earned his law degree and started to work as a patent attorney and translator in Chicago until his retiring in 1993.

After Henry Lilienheim's daughter, Irene Angelico, was born, he had a desire to share his story about the war with his child. Henry wrote his tale down but did not publish The Aftermath: A Survivor's Odyssey through War-torn Europe until 1994. His daughter, being a filmmaker, made a documentary about her parents titled Dark Lullabies. Henry Lilienheim was also the author of two self-published books: Friends and The Most Interesting Women of All Times and was working on two more manuscripts when he passed away.

Achievements

• Henry Lilienheim was widely known as a writer and translator. He spoke nine languages and worked as a translator at the Ladas & Parry for more than forty years. As a writer, Henry, a survivor of the Holocaust, was the author of the book about his experiences, The Aftermath: A Survivor's Odyssey through War-torn Europe.

Works

More photos

• book

  • The Aftermath

    (A survivor begins an epic search for his wife through pos...)

    1994

Views

Henry Lilienheim's experiences during the war had changed him. He wanted to create a historical document, and it became a compulsion to write about the horror of the war. He wanted to preserve the memory of all those who perished, including his family.

Personality

Quotes from others about the person

• Mark Pendergrast: "He had an incredible amount of energy and curiosity for life. He never accepted easy answers. He just had such vitality."

Connections

Henry Lilienheim's wife was Lydia Lilienheim. They had two children, Michael and Irene.

Friend:

Mark Dvorzhetski

Mark Dvorzhetski was an Israeli physician and historian. He was also the author of several books on the Holocaust.

Wife:

Lydia Eugenia Lilienheim

Lydia Lilienheim's maiden name was Turkus.

Sister:

Edwarda Lilienheim

Daughter:

Irene Sylvia Angelico

Irene Angelico is an acclaimed American filmmaker, producer, and writer. She is the recipient of numerous international awards for directing and producing, as well as a Gemini for best writing in a documentary. Irene is presently chair of Magnus Opus, a monthly program presenting the world's best documentaries.

Son:

Michael James Lilienheim