Henry Orenstein (1923–2021)

Henry (Henryk) Orenstein was born to a Jewish family in Hrubieszów, Poland. In 1939, when he was 16, after the Nazi invasion of his homeland in World War II, he and his father and brothers fled east to Soviet-controlled Ukraine. They remained there for two years before returning to his mother and sister in Hrubieszów. They endured the hardships of the Ghetto until 1942, when his parents were taken away and shot. Henry and his siblings were deported to the Budzyń camp in Poland, eventually incorporated into the Majdanek concentration camp. Henry and his brothers were later moved to Ravensbrück concentration camp. He survived with two of his three brothers, Fred and Sam. In 1947, he emigrated to the USA, joining an uncle in New York City. He went to work for the Libby's canned food company, and opened his own grocery store, before being inspired to become a toymaker. He founded Topper Toys and invented many successful toys, later working for Hasbro, where he persuaded the company to produce Transformers. He holds more than 100 patents, including one for a hole card camera, which made televised poker championships more interesting for the audience. This invention led to a boom in poker tournaments and shows on television, some of which were launched and produced by Henry himself. He also played poker professionally. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2008. Over the years, he has provided funds to build housing for many impoverished New Yorkers or to pay their rent and medical bills. His memoir I Shall Live: Surviving the Holocaust Against All Odds, was published in 1987. He also wrote Abram: The Life of an Israeli Patriot (1999), a biography of Abram Silberstein, who fought in the British Army during World War II.