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Emanuel Tanay

1928 – 2014

Polish-American psychiatrist

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About Emanuel Tanay

Lived 1928 – 2014 (aged 86). Emanuel Tanay was an American and Polish psychiatrist.

Emanuel Tanay (March 5, 1928 – August 5, 2014) was a Polish-American physician, a forensic psychiatrist, and a Jewish Holocaust survivor.

Early life

Tanay was born in Wilno, Poland on March 5, 1928, but the family soon moved to Miechów, a small community just north of Kraków. His mother, Betty Tenenwurzel, was both a physician and dentist and his father, Bunim Tenenwurzel, was a dentist. He survived by being hidden in the Catholic monastery of Mogila in Kraków, Poland.

In 1943 Tanay escaped from occupied Poland with his mother and sister to Slovakia and then Hungary. They were liberated in January 1945 in Budapest. He immigrated to the United States after World War II. He did his psychiatric residency at Elgin State Hospital in Elgin, Illinois.

Career

Tanay was Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Wayne State University Medical School in Detroit, Michigan.

Death Tanay died on August 5, 2014, following a lengthy battle with prostate cancer. He was 86.

Books

American Legal Injustice: Behind the Scenes with an Expert Witness. 2010, Jason Aronson. Passport to Life: Autobiographical Reflections on the Holocaust. 2004, Forensic Press. The Murderers: 1976, Bobbs-Merrill.

Hoax A fictional report "A German's View on Islam" falsely attributed to Dr. Tanay is often quoted in relation to Islamist terrorism.

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Important facts

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Emanuel Tanay's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Emanuel Tanay?

Polish-American psychiatrist

When was Emanuel Tanay born?

Emanuel Tanay was born on 5 March 1928 in Vilnius.

When did Emanuel Tanay die?

Emanuel Tanay died on 5 August 2014 in Ann Arbor.

What was Emanuel Tanay's occupation?

Emanuel Tanay was a psychiatrist.

What nationality was Emanuel Tanay?

Emanuel Tanay was American and Polish.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Emanuel Tanay

· Wikidata: Q5369154

· DBpedia: Emanuel Tanay

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Emanuel Tanay. https://biography.guide/emanuel-tanay/

MLA: "Emanuel Tanay." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/emanuel-tanay/.

Chicago: "Emanuel Tanay." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/emanuel-tanay/.

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