Alex Lopata was born on April 5, 1937, in Warsaw, Poland, into a Jewish family whose roots traced back to a cake shop run by his grandfather. His parents, Leon and Marila, were both accountancy students who married in 1933. When the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, the young family made a harrowing escape from Warsaw to Bialystok, then under Russian control.

Leon, hiding the family’s savings in the handle of an old umbrella, paid for their passage across the River Bug with diamonds. During the crossing, the boatman fled in fear of being discovered, abandoning Marila and two-year-old Alex mid-river. Marila managed to drag herself to the riverbank and hid Alex under a bush while she sought help. It was an early act of survival that would define Alex’s resilience.

The family was sent to Komi near the Ural Mountains, where they endured the war in exile. Alex grew up speaking Russian and attending school there, while Leon worked as a lumberjack and then an accountant. After the war, the Lopatas returned to Poland, eventually gaining permission in 1946 to migrate to Australia, joining Leon’s brother Harry in Melbourne.

In his new country, Alex adjusted to life quickly. He attended Windsor Primary School, learned English, and experienced a deeply personal awakening of his Jewish identity. At St Kilda Schul, he prepared for his Bar Mitzvah with Rabbi Danglow, transforming his experience from feeling like “a bloody Jew” to embracing a strong sense of cultural and spiritual belonging.

Driven by a passion for science and healing, Alex entered medical school at Melbourne University in 1956. After early work in pathology and surgery, his interest turned to the field of human reproduction. His pioneering work in in vitro fertilization (IVF) at Queen Victoria Hospital and later the Royal Women’s Hospital (RWH) played a key role in the success of Australia’s first IVF pregnancy. As a consultant physiologist, he advanced IVF research and became internationally recognized for his expertise. Even after retirement, he continued contributing to medical science through work on early cancer detection.

Alex’s story is not just one of science, but of family and legacy. He met his wife Rena, a psychologist and educator, in Sydney, and together they built a life focused on giving back to the community and strengthening Jewish heritage.

In 2024, his legacy was honored in a deeply personal way: a portrait of him by his grandson, Toby Lopata, was selected as a winner in the Young Archie competition. The artwork, filled with admiration and love, captured not just Alex’s face, but the life story etched into it—of survival, wisdom, and generational impact.

"I have chosen to depict my grandpa in my portrait. He is 86 years old and was a child survivor of the Holocaust. He arrived in Australia when he was 11 years old and became a scientist who helped people to have babies using IVF. Currently, he is recovering from cancer. My grandpa holds a special place in my heart. I was inspired by [German artist] Paula Modersohn-Becker’s self-portraits to create this painting of him."

Alex Lopata passed away peacefully on April 6, 2025, the day after his 88th birthday. His life bridged continents, wars, and scientific revolutions. Through the generations he inspired, his legacy continues to shine.