NEW YORK (AP) – Jacob “Jack” Werber, a Holocaust survivor who helped save hundreds of children and then became an American entrepreneur who helped entertain a generation of others, has died.

Werber, 92, of Great Neck, suffered a heart attack and died on Saturday, said William Helmreich, a professor with whom Werber wrote a book in 1996.

Werber had been arrested by the Nazis in 1939, separated from his wife and young daughter, and sent to the Buchenwald concentration camp. He later discovered that his wife and child had been killed.

In August 1944, a transport of prisoners came into the camp, including 700 boys. Werber, who was the barracks clerk, worked with other prisoners and some guards to save the children. They hid the youngest ones and found jobs for the others that protected them as much as possible from the harsh conditions, Helmreich said.

After the war, Werber moved to the United States, where his oldest brother and only remaining immediate family member lived. He started a company that in the 1950s manufactured coonskin caps that were popular accessories for young boys who were fans of the Disney television show about frontiersman Davy Crockett. He also invested in real estate.

Werber is survived by his wife Mildred, whom he married in 1945; their sons, Martin and David; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

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