Obituary: Alfred Haber
He and one sister survived the Holocaust and came to the United States.
Alfred Haber, age 93, of Atlanta died Sunday, June 3, 2018.
He was born Oct. 16, 1924, in Auschwitz, Poland, to Menachem and Luba Haber, of blessed memory. Alfred was the second of six children. When he was a young teenager, Alfred and his family were forcibly removed from their home and sent to the neighboring town of Sosnowiec, where, along with thousands of other Jews, they were placed in the infamous Sosnowiec ghetto. From there, Alfred was sent to forced-labor and then concentration camps. Somehow he survived for five years.
After the war, Alfred was reunited with his younger sister Lilli, and together they immigrated to America, settling in Buffalo, N.Y. No other family member survived. Soon after arriving in Buffalo, Alfred enrolled in school and, despite not knowing the language or customs of his new country and having no support system, he was able to graduate from Lafayette High School in two years at the top of his class. He even went to the prom!
Next, he started the Alfred Wallpaper and Paint Store, which he successfully operated for over 30 years. At the same time, he met the love of his life, Rachel Luftman, and in 1956 they married. The loving couple enjoyed entertaining and, together with friends, traveled extensively. In time, they retired to south Florida, where Alfred took up bridge, eventually earning the title of life master. For more information on Alfred Haber, you can view the video testimonial of his Holocaust experience at collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn511788.
Alfred is survived by his wife, Rachel Luftman Haber; son and daughter-in-law Dr. Mark and Marlene Haber of Sandy Springs; daughter and son-in-law Linda and Arthur Waters of Portland, Ore.; grandchildren Alexis (Amitabh), Jordan Kohn, and Jamie, Andrew and Katie Haber.
Sign the online guestbook at dresslerjewishfunerals.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum at www.give.ushmm.org/tribute, 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place SW, Washington, DC 20024-2126. A graveside service was held Tuesday, June 5, at Arlington Memorial Park with Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal officiating. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.
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