Abraham Cykiert - A Dear Friend of Schneider Children's

Abraham Cykiert generously sponsored the acquisition of equipment in the Pulmonology Institute at Schneider Children's Hospital in memory of his family who perished in the Holocaust. Schneider Children’s and his deep regard for the medical achievements of the hospital were further expressed by a handsome bequest he left to the hospital.

Mr. Cykiert, who emigrated to Melbourne in 1948, was a survivor of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp. Holder of an honorary Ph.D. from the University of Krakow, Poland, Mr. Cykiert wrote and lectured extensively over the years about the Jews of the Lodz Ghetto, the Holocaust and Zionism. Among his writings, he penned a moving account about the Jews in the Lodz Ghetto and asked that Friends of Schneider Children's in Israel execute his unwritten Will by publishing the book entitled "Last Summer Days". Mr. Cykiert finished writing the memoir in 2009, a year before he passed away, and dedicated it to the “children who could be saved and healed, and to the memory of the children who had perished in the Holocaust and could not be saved”.

In carrying out the wishes of Mr. Cykiert, "Last Summer Days" was launched by Friends on April 14, 2010, two days after Holocaust Day was commemorated in Israel. It was published by Friends of Schneider Children's with the generous assistance of Abraham's niece, Marsha Tauber. The book is sold by Friends of Schneider Children's in Israel for US$25. All proceeds are dedicated to hospitalized children at Schneider Children's.