Leopold Pfefferberg(1913-2001)

Concentration camp survivor whose life was saved by Oskar Schindler. As #173 on Schindler's famous list, his life was spared and he worked in a factory until the end of the war. He later immigrated to the United States where he opened a successful leather goods business. It was at his business that Australian author Thomas Keneally walked in to get a briefcase repaired. Page related the story of Schindler's Jews to Keneally, and suggested that he might want to make it the subject of a book. Keneally demurred, telling Page that as a non-Jew he didn't think he could do it justice but, upon later reflection decided that Oskar Schindler's story richly deserved to be brought to the world. For his efforts, Keneally's novel "Schindler's Ark" won the 1982 Man Booker Prize, Britain's highest literary award. When Steven Spielberg set out to film Keneally's book he engaged Page as the the film's technIcal advisor. Page was on set daily with Spielberg in Poland and Israel.