My friend Alex Dancyg: 75, a Holocaust educator, held captive in Gaza

It has been 24 days since Israel and, by extension, the world were thrust into upheaval when Hamas and Islamic jihadists invaded dozens of communities in southern Israel, bordering the Gaza Strip and thrusting the country into a state of war. The carnage and atrocities that transpired have not been seen since the days of the Holocaust.

Thousands were murdered in the most cruel and gruesome way, thousands more were trapped in their houses some for more than 24 hours, waiting for the Israeli Army to rescue them, and hundreds were kidnapped and taken hostage into enemy territories in the Gaza Strip; babies, children, men, women, and the elderly. Among them is Alex Dancyg, a 75-year-old man who was ripped away from his family and disappeared without a trace.

But who is Alex Dancyg?

Alex, a proud member of the Zionist Youth movement Hashomer Hatzair, lives in Kibbutz Nir Oz. A native of Warsaw, this Polish-Israeli has dedicated his life to fostering dialogue between Jews and Poles. 

Alex is an educator, spending his years shaping the minds of generations of youth and teachers, including guides at Yad Vashem, Israeli guides for those who visit Poland to see the authentic sites where the German Nazis murdered six million Jews during the Holocaust, and teachers from all over Poland. He is a passionate individual, with a deep love for the land, nature, literature, and life itself.

Alex has vast knowledge, from antiquity to the Holocaust

For nearly 30 years, Alex worked at Yad Vashem, where he dedicated his life to the Polish-Jewish/Israeli dialogue. This is how I first met him: I heard him speak for the first time when I participated in a guiding course at Yad Vashem in 2000. The course focused on Polish-Jewish relations during the Holocaust, and it challenged my preconceived notions.

Two years later, Alex was one of the key staff members leading the guiding course for guides to Poland. His knowledge was vast, and I often told him that I would never match up to it. His expertise extended not only to Polish history, Polish-Jewish history, and Holocaust studies, but to a multitude of related topics, including Judaism, general history, arts, and sports.

Alex broadened my horizons and constantly encouraged me to seek more information, a habit he maintained throughout our friendship. 

In 2006, we began co-heading the Polish desk at Yad Vashem’s International School for Holocaust Studies. Alex had the remarkable ability to connect with every audience, regardless of age or nationality. Our 12 years of work were ego-free, making our work highly effective – and over time, we became close friends.

Through our work, we collaborated with educators from Poland, museum educators, clergy, mayors, and others. Alex was instrumental in Polish-Israeli youth meetings during their journeys to Poland. He co-authored the Guide for Guides, published by Moreshet, and played a crucial role in training guides to Poland, effectively introducing Polish, Polish-Jewish, and Holocaust histories to young minds.

One of my fondest memories from our work was visiting Masada with one of the seminars. Alex expertly guided us through the Second Temple era and its destruction, quoting the Roman-Jewish historian Flavius Josephus and making it profoundly relevant to our Polish audience.

During our trips to Poland, Alex always looked out for me, ensuring I had kosher food and everything I needed. He played a fatherly role, ensuring my well-being and always lending a listening ear.

As a result of our shared work, we became very close friends, speaking every two to three days for an hour or more on a wide range of topics, from everyday life to the complex issues of Holocaust remembrance and world politics. My last conversation with Alex was on Friday, just one day before the Black Shabbat attack. I miss these talks immensely.

Alex maintained close connections with Polish friends, partners

Alex maintained close connections with all his friends and partners in Poland. Just a week before the attack, he had returned from Krakow after lecturing and meeting educators and students. Since the attack, numerous friends and graduates from Poland have reached out to us, shocked and praying for his safe and swift return. Alex’s Israeli friends and graduates have also taken to social media to express their support.

Although Alex has been a missing person since October 7, this is not the Alex we know. 

The Alex I know is a scholar and a friend, an educated person who received several awards, including the National Education Commission award – the highest honor from the Polish Education Ministry – and the Silver Cross of Merit from the later Polish president Lech Kaczynski. Alex is a proud father and grandfather, but most importantly, a dear, dear friend.

It is unthinkable and unbelievable that such a wonderful man has been taken hostage. Please join us in raising awareness of Alex and the other more than 200 Israeli hostages in Gaza. 

Share Alex’s and the other hostages’ stories, act, and pray for the swift release of them all. We will continue to hope that Alex is alive. While the world discusses providing humanitarian aid to the many thousands of victims of this war, Alex needs humanitarian aid now. Let us come together to help him receive it and bring him back home safely.

The writer is an ed-tech entrepreneur and developer, lecturer, and trainer in Holocaust education, Holocaust art, and Polish-Jewish dialogue. She worked at Yad Vashem for 22 years.

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