Henry Greenbaum – A Man of Perseverance

Henry Greenbaum has spent much of his adult life teaching students about freedom being an ongoing struggle and this lesson remains at the core of all of his lectures to students today.

He was 12 when Nazi soldiers invaded his Polish home in 1939 and forced into a ghetto, eventually being sent to labor camps like Auschwitz-Birkau, Flossenburg and Dachau.

Early Life and Education

Greenbaum enjoyed an idyllic childhood before World War II began. However, as Germany invaded Poland two years into the conflict and forced his family into ghettos and slave labor camps, including Auschwitz-Birkenau and Flossenburg concentration camps. Although he survived these concentration camps he lost his mother and three sisters to death.

After his liberation, he reunited with his brother and settled in Bethesda, Maryland with his late wife. Additionally, he frequently speaks about his Holocaust experience and emphasizes teaching tolerance and perseverance to younger generations.

Greenbaum is dedicated to equity and inclusion as a member of Black River Technical College Board, prioritizing access to quality education for all. Furthermore, his efforts revolve around funding initiatives, ADA compliance issues and providing every school with sufficient resources for meeting student needs.

Professional Career

Greenbaum was an inspirational and influential speaker throughout his life, sharing his experience of the Holocaust with students at universities, military bases and public events. His life story exemplifies resilience and perseverance that carried through until its conclusion.

Greenbaum was evaluated annually as possessing “the expertise and managerial style to assume the position of Vice President”. Though SNY claimed valid nondiscriminatory reasons for not promoting her to this role, any reasonable jury may have found such reasons pretextual. For example, their explanation that other vice presidents would report to her was directly contrary to testimony in this case; Amoroso and Pyron regularly advocated Greenbaum’s candidacy for promotion at hearings such as Tr. at 105-107, 121-123, 148-149 and 162-163 but ultimately she never received this promotion.

Achievement and Honors

Greenbaum was an esteemed faculty member in SDSU’s economics department for many years, where he enjoyed teaching and research activities. An avid traveler himself, Greenbaum used his work abroad to explore geography, politics, philosophy and culture around the globe.

He served on numerous local and national civic groups’ boards of directors. Additionally, he frequently spoke at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and visited military personnel at Fort Campbell, KY.

Real estate industry leaders gathered at the 124th annual REBNY banquet to honor David Greenbaum, Hector Figueroa, Jodi Pulice, Henry Celestino, and Kevin Wang for their civic accomplishments and commitment to social justice. Greenbaum received both The Harry B. Helmsley Distinguished New Yorker Award as well as posthumous Kenneth R. Gerrety Humanitarian Award.

Personal Life

Henry Greenbaum lived with his wife Shirley and four children in Baltimore County. He was an inspiration and role model to all those he encountered, particularly during Holocaust related discussions at universities or military bases across the country. Henry regularly shared his experiences and spoke out against racism through various university classes or presentations about it all over.

Greenbaum lost his father just weeks before World War II began, forcing his family to relocate into a ghetto. Once in Poland, the Nazis began rounding up Jews for factory work; Greenbaum worked at a factory assembling munitions.

Greenbaum was liberated by American troops on April 25, 1945 from Auschwitz-Buna Monowitz Flossenburg and Dachau slave labor camps he survived; calling that day “the greatest day of my life”. Since then, he has shared his incredible story of survival with thousands of people around the world.

Net worth

Greenbaum, a self-made multimillionaire estimated to have amassed an estimated net worth between $1-5 Million, made his wealth as a professional Rock singer.

His children now take over daily management of the business; son Greg runs the restaurant business while son Jeffrey oversees real estate activities and son-in-law Lock Reddic is in charge of liquor stores.

He invested in several special projects over time, such as renovating an old train depot in Columbia, South Carolina for California Dreaming restaurant he opened. Now operating 20 restaurants throughout Southeast, Chuna also volunteers at Museum to share his story of survival with visitors and his children and 12 grandchildren are proudly named in his memory. Born Chuna Grynbaum was born April 1, 1928 in Starachowice Poland.