Hero of the Week 4

Welcome back viewers!
This week's hero is....

Alfred Tibor

Alfred Tibor was a holocaust survivor and an artist. He was born Alfred Goldstein on February 10, 1920 in Konyar, Hungary. In 1940, Alfred was drafted into a slave labor battalion for the Axis forces. Less than a year later he and his battalion were captured by the Red Army. Instead of being liberated, Alfred and his battalion of laborers were then deported to Siberia. For the next 6 years Alfred struggled to survive in the horrific conditions of a Soviet prisoner of war camp. He was eventually released in 1947. Of his battalion of 273 men, he was one of two to survive the ordeal. Alfred then discovered that the rest of his immediate and extended family, except for his younger brother Andre, had all been murdered by the Nazis. Alfred and his brother then changed their name from Goldstein to Tibor in honor of their older brother (Tibor Goldstein), and then chose to immigrate to the United States.


Upon his arrival, Alfred Tibor settled in Columbus, Ohio. He then decided to become an artist (something he had wanted since he was young). For the rest of his life Alfred Tibor sculpted many sculptors that depict human life in order to educate the people of the United States. He dedicated many of his artwork to those who lost their lives in the Holocaust. He himself said, “As a Holocaust survivor, I believe that my life was spared to do my work so people may enjoy it. Whether it is one of my Holocaust sculptures, a biblical figure, or a woman standing proud and tall, the human aspect of the piece is what is being expressed to the viewer — that there is beauty and value to be found in all our lives, for I truly believe that life is a celebration.” 


As of today, Alfred Tibor's artwork can be found in nearly 500 museums and private collections around the world, including Israel's Yad Vashem monument in Jerusalem. Many of his sculptors can also be found throughout the city of Columbus. One of the most well known is a piece he called, "Freedom". He dedicated that to the city as a form of gratitude for the freedom he found in the United States. Alfred Tibor continued to make sculptors until is death on March 18, 2017. He was 97 years old. Like many people around the world, Alfred Tibor suffered a horrific ordeal and unimaginable loss. However, despite all his suffering he never gave in to despair. He picked himself up and found a new life and dedicated it to educating the world about the values of life through his artwork. Alfred Tibor should be seen as an inspiration to all who have suffered terrible loss in their life. 

This week's blog is also dedicated to the brave people of Charlottesville who confronted violent racists who still embrace the toxic Bigotry of people like the Nazis.

http://nbc4i.com/2017/03/18/holocaust-survivor-and-sculptor-alfred-tibor-dies-at-age-97/

http://www.dispatch.com/news/20170319/alfred-tibor--1920-2017-prolific-sculptor-shaped-by-holocaust

http://nbc4i.com/2017/03/20/family-friends-mourn-loss-of-local-sculptor-holocaust-survivor-alfred-tibor/

http://alfredtibor.net