The Life That Jack Built

This is a profile of Jack Pechter, who as a youth survived the Holocaust with his family, and became a major developer and philanthropist in America. Special attention is paid to Jack's parents, Max and Sarah Pechter, who saved the family by their actions to evade the Nazis during a five year period on the run. Jack went on to create a new life in the United States, working long hours and scrimping to establish a real estate development company that built shopping centers, homes and apartment buildings. Following his mother's advice that with his success was "now time to give back," he also focused on being a philanthropist, giving to various religious and secular charities. The book is dedicated to the memory of his parents "whose love, courage and values made this story possible."

Jack Pechter was five years old and living with his parents and three sisters in eastern Poland when the Nazis invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Because of his father's foresight and his mother's support and courage, Jack and his sisters, led by their parents, began a five-year journey through eastern Europe and Russia to evade the Nazis. His father, Max, was one of the first of the Polish Jews to realize the murderous intent of the Nazis, saying "When a fire is burning, you run." His mother, Sarah, kept the family strengthened with her consoling message throughout the war: "Tomorrow will be better. Tomorrow will be better." When Jack arrived in America in 1949 with his family, he had to begin life anew. But he quickly embraced the opportunities he found. He eventually enrolled in the University of Maryland, served in the army for a two-year stint, soon met and married his wife Marilyn, and in 1958 found his career when he became a salesman in a real estate company. Jack eventually went out on his own, getting a loan to construct townhomes and joining with a partner who had a background in real estate development. With his success in that first development, he was soon building townhome communities throughout Maryland. Other projects followed. What also followed was "doing for others," as his mother often told him was the secret for happiness.

M. Hirsh Goldberg is the author of five nationally published non-fiction books and several biographies of noted Maryland figures and their families. Among his books are "The Blunder Book" and "The Book of Lies" published by William Morrow and "The Jewish Connection" published by Bantam Books. He has also authored "Joseph Meyerhoff: A Portrait" and "It All Started With a Deli: The Attmans of Lombard Street." His books have been translated into French, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese. He has appeared on national TV and radio shows, including "Good Morning America," "The CBS Early Morning Show,""The Joan Rivers Show," and BBC Radio in London. Accredited as a public relations consultant, he has served as press secretary and speech writer for the governor of Maryland and the mayor of Baltimore. A native of Baltimore and a graduate of The Johns Hopkins University, he is a frequent contributor to the Baltimore Sun and has won awards for his columns in The Daily Record, a business newspaper. He lectures widely on his writings and can be reached at mhgoldberg@comcast.net.