David Faber was born in Poland. His entire family was killed during the Holocaust except for his oldest sister Rachel who lived in England prior to the start of World War II. He survived multiple concentration camps, including Auschwitz. After enduring horrific suffering, he was liberated from Bergen-Belsen on April 15, 1945. He was severely malnourished when he was found by two ladies working for the British Red Cross. After the war, he joined his sister in England. He married his wife, Tonia and they had a son, Solomon Faber. David was trained as a pastry chef and his work experience included the House of Commons in London.

His family moved to the United States in the 1950s and he settled in Springfield, Massachusetts where he continued to work as a pasty chef. After moving to the United States, he was asked to provide testimony against Nazi war criminals. Seeking a better climate, he and his wife moved to San Diego. After the death of his wife Tonia, David remained in San Diego and lived in the Del Cerro area with his second wife, Lina.

David decided to share his experiences as a Holocaust Survivor and wrote his memoir, “Because of Romek” which he dedicated to his brother who was tortured and killed by the Nazis. In the years that followed, David continued to lecture on the Holocaust and appeared at schools, colleges, universities, and religious institutions throughout the San Diego area. He also received invitations to speak and travelled throughout the United States. Many of the school administrators and students he met continued to maintain contact with David and Lina. David recently attended a ceremony at the Jewish Community Center in La Jolla to commemorate the Holocaust and the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Concentration Camps.

David is survived by his wife Lina, his son Solomon Faber of Asheville, North Carolina, his stepdaughters Luba Vaisman of San Diego, Marina Muchnik of Hutto, TX and their children, Anna Vaisman Ennis of Santee, Nicole Vaisman Mandallaz of Palm Springs, CA, and Yuri Kagan of San Francisco, CA. David took great pleasure in Anna’s son Paul whom he considered his great-grandson. David was pleased to attend Paul’s fourth birthday celebration prior to the illness that sent him to the hospital.

He will be laid to rest in a graveside service at Greenwood Memorial Park, 4300 Imperial Avenue, San Diego, CA 92113 on Friday, July 31st at 10am.

Donations in honor of David can be made to the following organizations:

Tifereth Israel Synagogue
6660 Cowles Mountain Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92119

JCF Holocaust Remembrance Endowment Fund
4950 Murphy Canyon Road
San Diego, CA 92123

Disabled American Veterans
PO Box 14301
Cincinnati, OH 45250