Oscar Singer lived a century, most of it in Denver. Yet, as with so many others, he left his mark in Denver not only on the basis of his life here.
A good life it was, quiet, humble, friendly, unpretentious. He will long be remembered as “all things food” at BMH-BJ.
His seemingly standard trajectory in Denver was anything but. Oscar Singer was liberated from Theresienstadt and survived four earlier Nazi centers for inhumanity.
When Singer and others came to the US in the late 1940s or early 1950s, they were treated kindly, particularly under the aegis of the late Alfred E. Neuman of what was then called Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Denver. But they were “cases.” They needed help. They didn’t speak the language. They didn’t fit in. But over time, ever so gradually, almost invisibly, Oscar Singer and most of his fellow survivors transformed themselves and transformed our community.
Most became leaders, role models and unique contributors to the Colorado community — and beyond.
The survivors stood out, not primarily for their history of suffering, but for having survived and overcome it. In Oscar Singer’s pleasant demeanor, readiness to help, steady attendance in shul and sustained service into his nineties, he told not only his own story but a pivotal story of modern Jewish history.
Oscar Singer sought no limelight and never pushed himself ahead of others. Because of these fine character traits he is remembered poignantly and missed deeply.
He spent his last years in Pittsburgh with family. Their gain was Denver’s loss; but it was not the Jewish people’s loss. Wherever Oscar Singer went he left an imprint just for being who he was, and not least because he was blessed with longevity, lucidity and the will to educate about the Holocaust.
If survivors like Oscar Singer made a unique contribution, they also left a unique void. They are irreplaceable. All coming generations, like all Jews since the Exodus from Egypt, will access them only through their stories of tribulation and triumph.
Oscar Singer was a quiet giant. Rest in peace, faithful servant.
© IJN 2026
