Isaiah Trunk

Isaiah Trunk was a prominent Polish-American Jewish archivist and historian, specializing in the field of history, particularly the Holocaust. Originally from Poland, he held a key position as the chief archivist of the Yiddish Scientific Institute YIVO in New York. Trunk's expertise lay in Jewish history during the Nazi occupation of Poland, making him a leading authority on the subject.

Trunk's scholarly work culminated in the publication of his monograph, Judenrat: The Jewish Councils in Eastern Europe Under Nazi Occupation, released in New York by Macmillan in 1972. This seminal work earned him significant recognition, including a National Book Award in history and a National Jewish Book Award in the Holocaust category. Through his research and writings, Trunk made a lasting contribution to the understanding of this critical period in Jewish history, solidifying his position as a renowned historian in his field.