108: Fredy Hirsch

108 Years ago today (February 11, 1916) Fredy Hirsch was born.

(Fredy at an Unknown Date)

Alfred Hirsch - known as Fredy (February 11, 1916 in Aachen, Germany – March 8, 1944 at the Auschwitz Death Camp in German-Occupied Poland) was a German-Jewish Athlete, Sports Teacher and Zionist Youth Movement Leader, notable for helping thousands of Jewish Children during the German Occupation of Czechoslovakia in Prague, the Theresienstadt Ghetto and the Auschwitz Death Camp in German-Occupied Poland.

When the Nazis came to power in 1932 and barred Jews from contact with non-Jews Fredy helped found the Jüdischer Pfadfinderbund Deutschland (Jewish Scouting Association of Germany, JPD) in Aachen, in Dusseldorf and in Dresden.

He gave German-Jewish Boys and Girls a safe outlet to enjoy the outdoors and forget the violence from the non-Jewish German Society.

After the Nuremberg Race Laws were created in 1935 he fled to Czechoslovakia and continued his work with Zionism and helping Jewish Children – despite not speaking Czech.

In March 1939 the Germans invaded all of Czechoslovakia and Fredy could have fled to South America with his Brother (who survived the War) but instead he stayed to help the Children.

He was on the first Transport from Prague to the Theresienstadt (Terezín) Ghetto in March 1941. Fredy became the Deputy Supervisor of Children at Theresienstadt.

Because of his German extraction, charisma, and careful appearance, he was able to convince SS Guards to grant privileges to the Children, including exemptions from Deportation and extra rations, which saved their lives at least temporarily.

Fredy and his Assistants maintained clandestine education under the difficult circumstances. Fredy’s insistence on exercise, discipline, and strict hygiene reduced death rates among the Children.

In 1943, he arranged to hold the Maccabi Athletic Children’s Games inside the Ghetto which were observed by thousands of Spectators.

In August 1943 1,200 Jewish Children from the Bialystok Ghetto in Poland arrived in Theresienstadt and were kept from the other Children in the Ghetto (because they spoke of the Gas Chambers.)

(Fredy in the Theresienstadt Ghetto in German-Occupied Czechoslovakia in 1941 helping show the Jewish Children forced there how to exercise.)

Fredy jumped the fence separating these Children from the others to see if he could help them in any way. A Guard stopped him and he was deported to Auschwitz in September 1943.

At Auschwitz, Fredy was made the Supervisor (Kapo) of the 600 Children in the Children's Block at the Theresienstadt Family Camp at Auschwitz II-Birkenau.

The Theresienstadt Family Camp was a German ruse where whole Families were allowed to stay together with civilian clothes and kept for when the Red Cross would come visit Auschwitz in February 1944 (the way they had visited the Theresienstadt Ghetto in June 1943.)

Each transport from Theresienstadt was only allowed to live for 6 months before they were gassed (although they weren’t told this by the Germans.)

In March 1944, the September Transport from Theresienstadt (which brought Fredy) was due to be sent to the Gas Chambers – since the 6 months had elapsed.

Fredy was made aware of his fate and the fate of all the Children from his Transport (by the Jewish Sonderkommando Prisoners who worked in the Gas Chambers) and was offered (by the Germans) to continue to help the Children from different Transports but he couldn’t abandon his Children and declined the Germans’ offer.

What happened next is not known. Fredy either attempted suicide by poison so he wouldn’t have to see his Children gassed to death or Jewish Prisoners poisoned him so he wouldn’t start an Uprising and get everyone killed.

What is known is that Fredy Hirsch was semi-consciously brought into the Gas Chamber on March 8, 1944, along with his Children and all the others from the 1st Transport and murdered.

According to Sonderkommando Prisoners, they sang the Czech National Anthem, the Hatikvah Jewish Anthem (today Israel’s National Anthem), and the Internationale before entering the Gas Chambers. In total 3,792 people were murdered from the 1st Transport that night.

Fredy Hirsch was 28 years old when he died. He had no Children of his own and yet worked hard for them in Nazi Germany, in Czechoslovakia, in German-occupied Czechoslovakia, at the Theresienstadt Ghetto and at the Auschwitz Death Camp.

He stayed with them even when he was given 2 official chances to flee and survive.

There’s a Documentary called “Dear Fredy” about his life and work.