“The sun shines for me too” – The story of Saadia Bahat

Saadia Bahat was born in Alytus, Lithuania in 1928. After the outbreak of World War II, Saadia's family moved to Vilna. Following the German invasion of Lithuania in June 1941. In September of the same year, the family was locked up in the Vilna ghetto. During one of the forced deportations from the ghetto, Saadia's father was murdered. Her mother managed to save Saadia and her sister. Saadia then began working in a ghetto workshop, learning carpentry, locksmithing and blacksmithing. In late 1943, he was taken to labor camps in Estonia, where he performed forced labor while logging forests. After the evacuation of the Estonian camps, Saadia was transferred to the Stutthof concentration camp and then to the Gotentof camp. The camp was liberated in March 1945 by the Soviet Red Army. In 1946, Saadia immigrated to pre-state Israel, enlisting in the Hagana and the Palmach (pre-state army and elite unit). He then studied machine engineering, working in research and development positions and then as a senior engineer within the Israeli security establishment. At the same time, Saadia continues her artistic activities begun before the Shoah. Dozens of his solo exhibitions, as well as his statues, have been presented in Israel and abroad. Saadia married Yehudit (Dit) and they have three children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

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