Jo Benkow (1924–2013)

Jo Benkow was born Josef Elias Benkowitz to a Jewish family in Trondheim, Norway. In 1942, he fled the Nazis Occupation of his country with his father and brother to Sweden and then to the UK, where he joined the Royal Norwegian Air Force. The female members of his family -- including his mother, sister and aunt -- and their remaining children were murdered at Auschwitz. After World War II, he graduated from the Danish Technological Institute in Copenhagen. Returning to Norway, he became a photographer, following in the career of his father and grandfather.

In 1965, he was elected to the Norwegian Parliament, where he became a leading figure. He was named Speaker (President) of the Parliament in 1985, a position he held for 28 years until his retirement in 1993. He also taught international relations at Boston University in 1994-1996 and wrote books on human rights, modern monarchy in Norway, and other issues. His autobiography Fra Synagogen til Løvebakken (From the Synagogue to Løvebakken, 1985) was a bestseller and broke sales records for Norwegian nonfiction.