Born in Poland, Sidney Zoltak was eight at the outbreak of WW II but, thanks to the bravery and kindness of a family of strangers who hid them in their barn, his family survived to the end of the War. Following two years in a Displaced Persons Camp in Cremona, Italy, Sidney and his mother (his father had died at the Camp at the age of 42) came to Montreal where he finished school and began to exercise his natural inclination as an entrepreneur, becoming an insurance agent in 1965.

Sidney is the author of My Silent Pledge, the story of his family’s war experiences and his life in Canada. He was recently welcomed back to Cremona, Italy, to the site of the Post-War Displaced Persons Camp to educate the local population about the history of the site and where local scholars had prepared a documentary about the Zoltak family’s stay at the Cremona Camp. He was honoured by the Mayor of the Town and his story celebrated as an intrinsic part of the culture and learning of the people of the region.

Sidney has been an active member of the community in Montreal working tirelessly to teach Canadian youth about the Holocaust. His dedication to honouring and commemorating those who perished in the Second World War has taken him to innumerable classrooms, media interviews, and many trips with the March of the Living.

Sidney has been affiliated with the Yiddish Theatre and the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre. He is also co-president of Canadian Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants and member of the Board of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, Inc.