RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Thomas Toivi Blatt has been called to eternal life by the wisdom of God at the age of 88; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of his passing by Alderman Edward M. Burke; and
WHEREAS, A native of Poland, Thomas Toivi Blatt participated in the only mass uprising and escape of Jewish prisoners from a Nazi death camp during World War II; and
WHEREAS, Thomas Toivi Blatt lost both of his parents and a younger brother in the gas chambers of the camp; and
WHEREAS, At the age of 16, Thomas Toivi Blatt was one of 300 prisoners who revolted and escaped from the death camp and became one of the few to elude Nazi soldiers; and
WHEREAS, After World War II, Thomas Toivi Blatt moved to Israel and then the United States where he owned three electronic shops in Santa Barbara, California; and
WHEREAS, Thomas Toivi Blatt dedicated his life to lecturing around the world about the atrocities of the Holocaust; and
WHEREAS, Thomas Toivi Blatt was a pivotal witness in the trial of former Nazi guard John Demjanjuk; and
WHEREAS, Thomas Toivi Blatt wrote two books that bore witness to the horrors of the concentration camp and consulted on the 1987 film entitled "Escape From Sobibor"; and
WHEREAS, The courage, sacrifice and dedication of Thomas Toivi Blatt serve as an example to all; and
WHEREAS, Thomas Toivi Blatt was an individual of great integrity and accomplishment who will be dearly missed and fondly remembered by his many relatives, friends and admirers; and
WHEREAS, To his children, Hanna, Leonard and Rena, his six grandchildren and his four great-grandchildren, Thomas Toivi Blatt imparts a legacy of faithfulness, service and dignity; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the members of the Chicago City Council, assembled this eighteenth day of November 2015, do hereby commemorate Thomas Toivi Blatt for his grace-filled life and do hereby express our condolences to his family; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suita...
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