Tribute to Jacques Altmann, survivor and witness of the Shoah, died on March 13, 2026 in Paris at the age of 103.

Jacques Altmann, survivor and witness of the Shoah, died on March 13, 2026 in Paris at the age of 103.

Adolphe, known as Jacques Altmann, was born on March 3, 1923, in Elberfeld, Germany. Her parents, Dina and Suscher, came from Poland and they met in Wuppertal in Germany. The arrival of Hitler in power led them to leave this country in 1933 and settle in France, in Nancy then in Romainville. They opened a textile shop in Romainville. Jacques joined them in 1938 after the pogrom of the 'Crystal Night'.

His father joined the French army voluntarily in 1940. Jacques was arrested for the first time in 1941 following a fight. Passionate about sports throughout his life, Jacques notably practices boxing. He escapes and takes refuge in Sablé in the Sarthe then in Nantes.

His parents were arrested with his four younger brothers and they were deported to the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp on November 3, 1942.

Jacques was arrested in March 1943 in Nantes, sent to the camp of Drancy before being transferred to the annexes of Austerlitz and Lévitan.

Jacques is deported on February 10, 1944 to the camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau. He is assigned to the kommando of 'Kanada' in the group that works on the 'ramp'.

In October 1944, he was transferred to Ohrdruf, a satellite camp of Buchenwald, where he was liberated by the American troops in April 1945. He is the only survivor of his family.

Photo: Adolf (aka Jacques) is 14 years old in this photo. He is located on the right behind his father.

Altmann family at the Universal Exhibition at the Palais de Chaillot, Paris 16^e, 1937. From left to right: Joseph, Dina the mother, Mendel, Adolf (aka Jacques), Suscher the father, and the two little ones, Jacques and Salomon. All were deported, Adolf (aka Jacques) was the only survivor.

Jacques was a figure of the Amicale d'Auschwitz and then of the Union of Auschwitz deportees, of which he will be the flag bearer. For many years, he will also testify with the new generations.

The Shoah Memorial salutes the memory of Jacques Altmann, a witness committed to transmitting the memory of the Shoah, and sends its most sincere condolences to his family.

Tribute to Jacques Altmann, survivor and witness of the Shoah, died on March 13, 2026 in Paris at the age of 103.

Photo: Adolf (aka Jacques) is 14 years old in this photo. He is located on the right behind his father.

Altmann family at the Universal Exhibition at the Palais de Chaillot, Paris 16^e, 1937. From left to right: Joseph, Dina the mother, Mendel, Adolf (aka Jacques), Suscher the father, and the two little ones, Jacques and Salomon. All were deported, Adolf (aka Jacques) was the only survivor.

Photo: Portrait of Jacques Altmann, 1994. © Photo Evvy Eisen/Shoah Memorial

With Assistance from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany

Sponsored by the Foundation « Remembrance, Responsibility and Future »

Supported by the German Federal Ministry of Finance

Tribute to Jacques Altmann, survivor and witness of the Shoah, died on March 13, 2026 in Paris at the age of 103.

Photo: Adolf (aka Jacques) is 14 years old in this photo. He is located on the right behind his father.

Altmann family at the Universal Exhibition at the Palais de Chaillot, Paris 16e, 1937. From left to right: Joseph, Dina the mother, Mendel, Adolf (aka Jacques), Suscher the father, and the two little ones, Jacques and Salomon. All were deported, Adolf (aka Jacques) was the only survivor.

Photo: Portrait of Jacques Altmann, 1994. © Photo Evvy Eisen/Shoah Memorial

Altmann family at the Universal Exhibition at the Palais de Chaillot, Paris 16^e, 1937. From left to right: Joseph, Dina the mother, Mendel, Adolf (aka Jacques), Suscher the father, and the two little ones, Jacques and Salomon. All were deported, Adolf (aka Jacques) was the only survivor.