With great sorrow, we share the news of Dr. Guy Stern's passing at the age of 101. Dr. Stern was a Holocaust survivor, decorated American war hero, and the Director of our International Institute of the Righteous.

Born Günther Stern in Hildesheim, Germany, in 1922, he was the only member of his family to escape the Nazis. Traveling alone to America at age 15 in hopes of securing sponsorship in the United States for his parents and siblings, Dr. Stern would later learn of their deaths in the Holocaust. 

Bilingual and a skilled negotiator, he and a band of other enlisted men known as The Ritchie Boys are credited with securing more than half of the actionable intelligence gathered in Europe during World War II. 

Dr. Stern was a pillar at The HC. He joined our Board of Directors in 1987, served on advisory committees, and assumed the role of Interim Executive Director following the 2008 passing of Founder Rabbi Charles Rosenzveig. Until his death, Dr. Stern served as the Director of our International Institute of the Righteous.

“Guy’s contribution to the Allied war effort is a well-studied and established fact. He and the other Ritchie Boys were instrumental in the outcome of the war,” said Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld, CEO of The HC. “He is a hero in every sense of the word. Truly, Guy Stern was a national treasure, and he will be greatly missed.”