Joseph Wachtel, Holocaust sculptor, 1914-2008
Joseph Wachtel of Lake Worth, whose sculptures are displayed at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington and Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, died June 7 of cancer. He was 94.
Wachtel was born and raised in the Ukraine. During World War II, he joined a group of partisans who fought the Nazis alongside the Russians.
Wachtel was wounded in the Battle of Stalingrad. Afterwards, he reunited with his wife, Gabriela, and stayed with the Red Army as it liberated Eastern Europe.
Wachtel and his wife lost many family members in the gas chambers. Raoul Wallenberg, the Swiss banker and diplomat who rescued thousands of Jews in Hungry, helped save some members of Gabriela's family.
After the war, Wachtel and his wife settled in communist Romania until 1960, when they left for Austria. Two years later, they emigrated to the United States.
Living in New York, Wachtel worked as a machinist until he retired and moved to Lake Worth.
That's when he took up sculpting. His bronze sculpture of Wallenberg is on permanent display at the new Holocaust Museum and Documentation Center in Hollywood, and his marble sculpture, The Grieving Mother, is at Yad Vashem, Jerusalem. Wachtel's Wallenberg Bronze traveled throughout Florida with the theatrical production, Honoring Raoul Wallenberg, written and produced by Pamela Hope Levin, Jensen Beach.
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| | | There are stars whose radiance is visible on earth though they have long been extinct. There are people whose brilliance continues to light the world even though they are not longer among the living. These lights are particularly bright when the night is dark. They light the way for human kind.
Hannah Senesh
Dearest Joseph, The light and love that emanated from your heart to all you held dear will will forever shine. I cherish our friendship and all that we shared through the years. | | Pamela Hope Levin, Jensen Beach
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Guest Book
| July 14, 2008 | | Joseph,
I'm talking to you as if you can read this. I guess I believe you can. It's been many years since I last saw you, yet I can clearly picture your smiling face and hear your distinct voice. You made a terrific impact on everyone around you. May you rest in peace. | | Boaz Dvir (Gainesville, FL) |
| July 10, 2008 | | My Most Beloved Tata,
Every day with you was a gift! THANK YOU for all that you did for us, and for the world. You will always be in our hearts and our thoughts. David Ezra talks about you, and misses you every day. You were a great Grandfather to me, and a really GREAT Great-Grandfather to David. Love you Always,
Natanya | | Natanya Wachtel-Flatau (Westfield, NJ) | |
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| June 26, 2008 | | "He survived and thrived beyond one of the most horrific times in human history. And he did that creatively, with dignity, warmth and a deep desire to instill in those who have never experienced such horror the recognition that it will never happen again if we who remain do not permit it." | | Carmella Greacen (Los Angeles, CA) |
| June 26, 2008 | | Joseph was a regular attendee in my ceramics and stone carving classes at Palm Beach C.C. where he enthusiastically produced the original clay piece for the bronze casting.
He told me he had been allowed to stay alive because he was a stone carver and was proud that a stone monument dedicated to "The Workers" was still standing after the war.
If any artist ever produced something from the heart then it was this homage to Wallenberg by Joe.
Students as well as myself, looked forward to his bright smile each class. I will also miss his handshakes which were strong and sincere. | | William P. Slatery (West Palm Beach, FL) |
| June 26, 2008 | | Your artwork said it all. It told of a sensitive man who lived a life of great hope and great despair during the Holocaust. But you always exhibited such a ray of light and compassion when you talked about those you lost and loved.
Thank you for helping us honor Raoul Wahlenberg and those he helped and those he couldn't.
I'll miss your shining face but the beauty of your soul, just as much as your artistry, will live in my heart forever. | | Phyllis Cambria (Coconut Creek, FL) |
| June 26, 2008 | | I didn't know he was ill. I am so sorry for his family and friends. He brought so much to his life and to ours. Thank you, Joseph, for letting me be a part of your passion. When I sang in the play, "Raoul Wallenberg", I was so blessed to have known Joseph. He believed in my singing as I believed in his work.
Please give my sincere sympathy to his family and let them all know that in life we come across people that change our lives. Not only did he change our life with his devotion to what he believed but also helped bring an understanding of the atrosities that happen in our world. I am blessed that I was able to be a part of his artistry and the few moments in his life. He was a wonderful person and loved by all. | | Martine Bizier (Port Orange, FL) |
| June 26, 2008 | | I was honored to have met this brilliant, wonderful man. | | Elliot Brooks (West Palm Beach, FL) |
| June 26, 2008 | | Joe was a gentle soul who loved life. His Holocaust experience forced him into self-preservation and becoming a hero of the Jewish people as a partisan. He always showed my wife and I kindness.
His art came from the depths of his soul and we are fortunate to have been a small part of his life.
He always was available to speak to students about his experiences to teach lessons of tolerance and acceptance.
I, in my role as coordinator of the March of the Living - Southern Region, am enriched professionally and personally for having known him.
His grace will be missed. | | Jack Rosenbaum (Boca Raton, FL) |
| June 26, 2008 | | I knew Joseph but briefly when I participated in the "Honoring Raoul Wallenberg" performance in Lake Worth - but he was history walking, and a lovely, warm, talented reminder that life exceeds experience, that we can take what we see and know and share something beyond the mundane. | | Carmella Greacen (Los Angeles, CA) |
| June 26, 2008 | | Forever in our hearts. We are blessed for having you as our friend. | | Deanna and Alexa Verboort (Orange Park, FL) |
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