Aleksander Hertz

Born in Warsaw into a Jewish family of fierce Polish patriots, his father having fought in the Polish Uprising of 1863, Aleksander Hertz received a doctorate in sociology from Warsaw University and was known for his work on the sociology of theater. In the 1930s, he helped organize the Stronnictwo Demokratyczne, which advocated a Polish identity that was civic rather than ethnic or religious. Hertz immigrated to the United States in 1940 and was active in Polish émigré publications such as the Paris-based Kultura. His landmark book The Jews in Polish Culture reflects his ongoing efforts after the war to highlight the key role played by Jews in Polish culture and to remind Polish intellectuals that Jews had been an integral part of their national heritage.