thumb|Abram L. Sachar in 1961

Abram Leon Sachar (February 15, 1899 – July 24, 1993) was an American historian and founding president of Brandeis University.

Early life and education

He was born in New York City to Samuel Sachar, a Jewish immigrant from Lithuania, and Sarah Abramowitz, a native of Jerusalem. He was briefly enlisted for service in World War I, He also served as president of the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (BBYO) from 1945 to 1948.

During World War II, Sachar worked as a radio news analyst in Chicago and New York, commenting on contemporary affairs. He was also involved with attempts to aid Jewish refugees, organizing a program to bring refugee students to the United States. During his 20-year tenure, Sachar's leadership and fund-raising skills were largely credited for building Brandeis into a major research institution. When he assumed office in 1948, Brandeis had 107 students and 13 faculty members; at the time of his death, it had 3,700 undergraduate and graduate students, and 360 full-time faculty members. Sachar personally raised $160 million for the expansion of the campus from a few buildings on a defunct medical-school campus to a complex of 90 buildings spread over 235 acres.

  • Sufferance is the Badge: The Jew in the Contemporary World (1939)
  • The Course of Our Times (1972)
  • The Redemption of the Unwanted (1984)
  • Brandeis University: A Host at Last (1995)

References

Further reading

  • Diamond, Nancy, "The 'Host at Last': Abram Sachar and the Establishment of Brandeis University", Perspectives on the History of Higher Education 28 (2011), 223–52.
  • "The Liberation of Dachau" (excerpt from The Redemption of the Unwanted by Dr. Abram L. Sachar