Biography.guide
Home › People › Estelle Sapir
Portrait of Estelle Sapir

Estelle Sapir

1926 – 1999

Holocaust survivor and cause celebre lawsuit plaintiff

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Estelle Sapir

Lived 1926 – 1999 (aged 72–73).

Estelle Sapir (25 January 1923 – 13 April 1999) was a Polish Jewish Holocaust survivor who achieved a measure of fame for her successful battle with the Swiss banking industry, in particular Credit Suisse, after a half-century of fighting for the return of her family's money, which had been deposited by her father, Józef Sapir, before he was murdered in the Nazi concentration camp at Majdanek during World War II.

In 1998, Credit Suissewhich had demanded her father's death certificate, which did not exist due to the circumstances of his murder in a concentration camp, in order to release the fundsand Estelle Sapir jointly announced that the case was settled. The amount was not disclosed due to a confidentiality agreement but has been estimated at $500,000 USD.

Sapir died on 13 April 1999, aged 76, in Rockaway Park, Queens, New York from a heart attack after a period of poor health. She never married and was survived by two nieces and a nephew. She had maintained her Polish citizenship until her death and was a permanent resident alien in the United States, not a naturalized U.S. citizen, unlike her fellow co-plaintiffs.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Born
1926, Poland
Birth century

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Estelle Sapir's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Estelle Sapir?

Holocaust survivor and cause celebre lawsuit plaintiff

When was Estelle Sapir born?

Estelle Sapir was born in 1926 in Poland.

When did Estelle Sapir die?

Estelle Sapir died on 13 April 1999.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Estelle Sapir

· Wikidata: Q5400944

· DBpedia: Estelle Sapir

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Estelle Sapir. https://biography.guide/estelle-sapir/

MLA: "Estelle Sapir." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/estelle-sapir/.

Chicago: "Estelle Sapir." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/estelle-sapir/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:01 UTC