Fredy Hirsch
German-Jewish youth leader / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Alfred Hirsch (Hebrew: פרדי הירש; (1916-02-11)11 February 1916 – (1944-03-08)8 March 1944) 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, Theresienstadt concentration camp, and Auschwitz. Hirsch was the deputy supervisor of children at Theresienstadt and the supervisor of the children's block at the Theresienstadt family camp at Auschwitz II-Birkenau.
Fredy Hirsch | |
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Born | Alfred Hirsch (1916-02-11)11 February 1916 |
Died | 8 March 1944(1944-03-08) (aged 28) |
Nationality | German Jew |
Occupation(s) | Athlete, sports teacher, Zionist youth movement activist |
Organization(s) | Jüdischer Pfadfinderbund Deutschland, Maccabi Hatzair |
Known for | Helping Jewish children during the Holocaust |
Partner | Jan Mautner |
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. Hirsch and his assistants maintained clandestine education under the difficult circumstances. Hirsch's insistence on exercise, discipline, and strict hygiene reduced death rates among the children.
The family camp was due to be liquidated on 8 March 1944; Hirsch's popularity made him a natural leader for an uprising. According to some accounts, he committed suicide in order not to have to witness the deaths of his charges; alternately, he was poisoned by Jewish doctors who would have been killed if an uprising had broken out.