Queens College adds Jewish Studies professorship

A Holocaust survivor, William Ungar never wanted to forget the unspeakable tragedy. Remembering it and enlightening others has always been a mission of his.
For that reason, Ungar, a successful entrepreneur and member of the Jewish Studies Executive Advisory Board at Queens College, and his wife, Jerry, a former Queens College graduate, funded the Flushing school with its first endowed professorship in Jewish Studies, with an emphasis on Holocaust Studies. Essentially, it enables the school to bring in an extra professor who will teach classes regarding the Holocaust.
&#8220It is crucial that the history of the Holocaust not be forgotten,” added Queens College President James Muyskens. &#8220The Ungars' generosity will ensure that generations of students learn about this terrible time in human history and the importance of tolerance among all people.”
Born in Poland, Ungar served as the only Jewish soldier in the Polish military unit, fighting the Nazis at the beginning of World War II. During the Holocaust, he survived with false documents as a Catholic but in 1942, was taken to the Janowska Concentration Camp from where he escaped. More than 60 members of his family perished, including his wife and young son.
Ungar chronicled his story in the hope-filled book, Destined to Live (2000). His most recent book is Only in America: From Holocaust to National Industry Leadership.
In 1946, penniless and with little knowledge of the English language, Ungar arrived in New York aboard the first Displaced Persons ship to the United States and began working in a machinery company to produce envelopes. He took night courses at City College (CUNY), eventually earning a degree in mechanical engineering. In 1952, with three plunger machines, he started the New York Envelope Corporation. Now known as the National Envelope Corporation, it ranks as one of the largest privately owned envelope manufacturers in North America.
Because of Ungar's achievements in business and his lifelong commitment to the memory of the Holocaust, he's been recognized with several awards. He received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the 1995 American Business Achievement Award, the 1996 New York City Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and was designated 1996 National Entrepreneur of the Year.
But his latest endeavor may be the most important. &#8220The Ungars' latest educational initiative at Queens College is a timely response to the voices of intolerance and anti-Semitism,” said Mark Rosenblum, director of Jewish Studies at Queens College.