Holocaust Survivor, Tolerance Education Center Founder Earl Greif Dies

PALM DESERT, CA - Funeral services will be held Sunday for a Holocaust survivor who founded a Rancho Mirage center that explores the roots of hatred and promotes tolerance.

Earl Greif died in his sleep on Feb. 24, seven years after his planning and fundraising efforts resulted in the opening of the Tolerance Education Center in Rancho Mirage, according to Melissa Banwer, the center's executive director. He was 90.

According to a biography provided by the Tolerance Education Center, Greif was born in Galicia, Poland, on May 3, 1925, to a Jewish farm family. As World War II and the Nazi war machine broke out, Greif's mother and baby sister were among the victims.

Greif, his father, and his younger brother escaped capture from the Nazis by hiding inside a brick oven and then fleeing into the country's forests, where the trio scavenged to survive over the following six months.

The endeavor claimed Grief's father, and his sons spent the next two years on the run, eventually making it to a Russian Army hospital.

Grief came to the United States in 1947, making a living building furniture in Los Angeles' Boyle Heights neighborhood and later as a butcher.

He married in 1953 and began a career in real estate. In 1994, he retired and moved to the Coachella Valley with his wife, Shirley.

All the while, Greif kept quiet regarding his Holocaust experience, even to his own family. But when he learned that some were denying that the Holocaust ever occurred, he decided to open up.

He told his story at local schools, co-founded the Holocaust Memorial at Palm Desert Civic Center Park and created the Tolerance Education Center, whose mission "is to promote tolerance, civility, respect and understanding by the elimination of atrocities, hatred and bigotry."

According to its website, the center presents programs, activities and exhibits that "provide an educational opportunity for students and the community at large to learn to reduce prejudice, teach critical thinking and empower and empower those who visit to take a more active role in creating a more humane society."

Greif is survived by his son Randy, grandsons Gabriel and Nicholas, and sister, Rozia.

Services will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday at Temple Sinai in Palm Desert, 73-251 Hovley Lane W.

– By City News Service. Image courtesy of the Tolerance Education Center.