FAU Honors Champion of Holocaust Education

This week I had the privilege of presenting an honorary doctorate to Kurt Wallach, a man who, throughout his life, has been dedicated to keeping the lessons of the Holocaust alive. Florida Atlantic University awards honorary doctorates to persons of high achievement, on a highly selective basis. Honorary degrees are given for sustained achievement of lasting significance, including eminent achievement in scholarship, outstanding achievements in the arts or high distinction in public service. Mr. Wallach certainly meets these requirements. He has lived an extraordinary life filled with hard work, service to his nation and his community, and a dedication to educating future generations.

Like so many Americans, Mr. Wallach emigrated to this country as a child with his family, escaping horrific circumstances — and ultimately achieved the American Dream. He has been a businessman, a real estate mogul, an author, and even a tennis pro, achieving success every time. However, he never forgot about the danger he and his family faced — narrowly escaping the Nazis twice — or the many friends and relatives whose lives were lost during the Holocaust.

To that end, Mr. Wallach has dedicated his time, talents and treasures to keeping the lessons of the Holocaust alive, to help ensure — through education — that such atrocities never happen again. He and his wife, Marilyn, recently gave a monumental $20 million gift to Florida Atlantic University — the largest single gift in school history — to create the Kurt and Marilyn Wallach Institute for Holocaust and Jewish Studies. This historic gift will ensure that Holocaust and Jewish studies — as well as human rights education — will continue to build bridges of understanding and empathy for generations to come.

We are delighted to welcome Mr. Wallach to the FAU family, and we thank him again for all he has done for Holocaust, human rights, and Jewish studies education, both here at FAU and throughout his life.