Born in
Będzin,
Poland, Strochlitz studied economics at
Jagiellonian University in
Kraków before
Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939. Between August 1943 and April 1945, he survived more than two years in
Nazi concentration camps, including fifteen months at
Auschwitz. His parents, sister and first wife were murdered in Auschwitz. He built the business into a local institution and continued to run Whaling City Ford for almost fifty years until he died in 2006. Strochlitz's heirs inherited and expanded the business before finally selling it in 2020. Strochlitz was a close friend and collaborator of
Elie Wiesel. Strochlitz became a member of the Presidential Commission on the Preservation of Americans' Heritage Abroad in 1992. At various times he served as president of the American Friends of
Haifa University, a governor of
Bar-Ilan University, a founding member of the American Society for
Yad Vashem, a trustee of the
American Jewish Congress, and a member of the board of
Lawrence + Memorial Hospital. Awards included the Elie Wiesel Remembrance Award (1986), the National Holocaust Remembrance Tribute (1986), and the
Ellis Island Medal of Honor (1997). Strochlitz was appointed a Chevalier of the French Republic's
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1993. He held honorary doctorates from
Connecticut College, Haifa University, and Bar Ilan University. == Legacy ==