Remembering the legacies of Dr. Vladimir Munk
Oct. 3—PLATTSBURGH — Dr. Vladimir Munk, 98, a Holocaust survivor who educated so many, died peaceably Saturday, Sept. 30, in Plattsburgh.
A resident of Lake Forest Senior Living Community, Dr. Munk was a biochemistry professor emeritus at SUNY Plattsburgh, where he taught for 21 years.
In 1981, he received the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching.
HISTORY
Born Feb. 27, 1925 in Pardubice, Czech Republic, he was the only child of Karel Munk and Hermina Munk nee Geschmai, members of the Jewish community there.
Karel was born in 1893 when Pardubice was still part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was founded in 1867. He served in the Czech Army, and later became a chemistry engineer and worked as manager of Wertheimer Distillery, until German occupation in Czechoslovakia in 1938.
Vladimir's early years were filled with fond memories of his homeland, but his journey took a harrowing turn during World War II when his family was forced from their home, enduring incarceration in Theresienstadt Ghetto and the horrors of Auschwitz, according to his legacy.com obituary.
Vladimir completed five years of public school before he entered Real Gymnasium, which offered four years of middle school and four years of high school. He finished the first four years at the Gymnasium, then was not permitted to study in the schools because he was Jewish in 1940. He was admitted as a long-distance student to a Jewish Gymnasium in Moravia, which closed before his final exam.
At 16, Vladimir, was forced to work and reported each morning to City Hall where he was assigned to clean military barracks. In Pardubice, a cooperative owner, Vaclav Cerny, received a contract to build modern radios and Vladimir went there and tuned radios at the end of an assembly line.
When Karel lost his factory job, the family relocated to the attic of a small villa.
Czech Jews were transported to a military fortress, Terezin, built in the 17th century by the Emperor Joseph II, who was the son of Empress Maria Theresa.
Vladimir and his parents were sent on the second transport from Pardubice to Terezin. Karel's transport number was CG 58. Hermina's transport number was CG 59. Seventeen-year-old Vladimir's transport was CG 60.
On Dec. 6, 1942, the Munks reported to a business school, close to the railway station, for processing.
On Dec. 9, the Munks' transport marched from the assembly place to the railway station.
Bohušovice was the last railway station before Terezin.
The Munks were inspected by the Gestapo and put in huge barracks. Karel and Vladimir were assigned permanent quarters in Hannover Barracks. Hermina was assigned to a private house and to clean. Because of lax oversight, she was able to care for her blind, 80-year-old mother.
Her older sister, Ann Eisner, and her family were sent to Auschwitz in January 1943. The whole family perished. When Hermina's mother died, she got a new job collecting lunch coupons from the other prisoners.
FUTURE WIFE
In the concentration camp, Vladimir met his future wife Kitty Lowi, who arrived with her family at Terezin on Feb. 16, 1943 after a lengthy interrogation by the Gestapo.
While at Terezin, Vladimir made an anvil, which he left in Kitty's safekeeping when he was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau. He instructed Kitty to contact his aunt, married to a German, in Prague, if she survived.
Vladimir was sent to Auschwitz with his father on Oct. 1, 1944; his mother followed 11 days later. Separated soon after arrival, he never saw them again.
Liberated from a death march at the war's end, Vladimir returned to Prague, where he married Kitty on November 12, 1949.
In 1950, he received his masters in chemical engineering from the Czech Technical University, and three years later, he earned a doctorate in biochemistry and microbiology.
Vladimir spent the next 15 years as a research scientist in several research institutes in Prague, publishing several papers and filing 20 patents. In May 1968, he was awarded the prestigious State Prize for his groundbreaking work in fermentation and genetic engineering.
"Vladimir accepted an invitation by a dean of science of SUNY Plattsburgh and joined the faculty as a visiting professor in 1968, just as the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact countries began invading Czechoslovakia.
After only 10 months in his position at the college, the new Czech government ordered Munk's return. Having made Plattsburgh home, Vladimir, Kitty and their two sons, Peter and Paul, decided they wanted to stay.
SUNY supported their decision and changed Munk's professor status from 'visiting to 'tenured,'" according to plattsburgh.edu
Here, he embraced a new chapter as a full professor at the State University of New York in Plattsburgh, teaching Microbiology and Biochemistry for over two decades.
His impact on generations of students was immeasurable, with many remaining in contact with him throughout their lives, according to legacy.com
EDUCATION
Upon retiring, Vladimir dedicated himself to Holocaust education, sharing his firsthand experiences with students in upstate New York.
Munk was one of 110 members of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation's Survivors Delegation who chose to make the journey back to this place of genocide. He wanted to honor his loved ones, but also to ensure that the atrocities which occurred there will never be forgotten.
Filmmakers/producers Julie Canepa, Bruce Carlin and Paul Frederick accompanied him to Poland on Jan. 27, 2020 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Soviet Army's liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the notorious concentration and extermination camp used by the Nazis to murder more than 1 million people during World War II.
The feature-length Emmy-award winning film, "Return to Auschwitz: Survival of Vladimir Munk," follows the Czech Holocaust survivor, who at the age of 95, returned to Auschwitz-Birkenau, one of the camps where he was held prisoner and where his family members perished during World War II.
The doc, produced in part by Mountain Lake PBS, premiered at the Strand Theatre in Plattsburgh and was selected for the Lake Placid Film Festival in October 2021. The documentary was a Finalist at the Berlin International Art Film Festival and an Official Selection at the Montreal International Film Festival 2021 and won in the IndieFest Film Awards.
"It was an honor to have met Vladimir and accompany him back to a place of unspeakable horror, the Auschwitz Birkenau extermination camp," Carlin said.
"Seeing his determination to say goodbye to his parents and 30 other relatives who were all murdered there, gave me an insight into a man who survived so much in a lifetime, and to the potential of the human spirit. Since his return we have had the privilege to share many evenings with him as he gave in-depth wine tastings right up until June of this year. He was an amazing person and we mourn not only his death but the millions of those who didn't survive the Holocaust."
This spring, Vladimir was presented with a Proclamation on his 98th birthday by Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay) at Lake Forest Retirement Community.
On Vladimir's passing, Jones states:
"I'm heartbroken to learn about the passing of Holocaust survivor and former SUNY Plattsburgh biochemistry and microbiology professor, Vladimir Munk. To know Vlad was to love him. For over two decades he touched so many of his student's lives. He was an extraordinary man who had stories to tell about our painful history, but he had a remarkable gift of optimism for humankind.
"Vladimir always said when we were together that he didn't tell or try to tell people how they should think, he only told them his story. I was honored and grateful to know him as a friend for the past several years and the people that were his friends and caretakers like Rebecca and others I'm sure share the same memories that I do. I thank them for everything that they did for this extraordinary North Country man. He will be greatly missed, but his spirit lives on.
"Today, I salute Vladimir with his favorite drink, Slivovitz, a Polish plum brandy."
MORE HONORS
In September, Canepa's debut novel, "The Missing Star," based on Vladimir and Kitty's story, was released.
On Sept. 12, Vladimir was presented a plaque signifying the Louis E. Yavner Award for his efforts to educate others about the Holocaust and other violations of human rights by the New York State Board of Regents.
Vladimir is survived by two sons, Peter and Paul Munk, and their spouses, Sheila Munk and Alice Peterson, as well as his grandchildren, Matthew, Julia, David, and Henry Munk, and great-grandchildren, Hannah and Jacob.
"Dr. Vladimir Munk's legacy is one of resilience, compassion, and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. His life journey inspires us to overcome adversity, cherish every moment, and strive for excellence in all our endeavors. He will be deeply missed, and his spirit will forever illuminate our lives," according to legacy.com
Arrangements will be made at a later date.
Email: rcaudell@pressrepublican.com
Twitter@RobinCaudell
