Arnold Goldschmidt was born in Fulda, Germany, in 1922. Arrested during Kristallnacht, he was deported to Buchenwald concentration camp, where he was subjected to a brutal regime of forced labor and beatings. Arnold was eventually released and returned to his hometown of Fulda. He was later sent on a children's transport to Holland, where he lived in different children's homes. Immigrating to the United States, he later enlisted in the US Army. Arnold Goldschmidt immigrated to Israel in 1966.
This archival footage, depicting the events of Kristallnacht in Buehl, was discovered a few years ago in the attic of one of the residents in Buehl. The footage was taken by a firefighter who shot films for a hobby. He took the footage in order to capture his friends during their work. The firefighters were prepared to put out the flames to ensure that the fire would not spread to the neighboring homes next to the synagogue.
Members of the SS or SA appear in the film, apparently having come from a different town. This signifies that the riots did not break out spontaneously, as the Germans claimed, but were organized by the authorities, which sent people from other areas to oversee the events.
Among all the films that document the destruction of synagogues on Kristallnacht, the footage from Buehl is one of the few films not produced by the Propaganda Ministry of the Nazi regime.
Buehl is a town in the state of Baden, Germany. In 1933 there were approximately 70 Jews in Buehl, who made up about 1% of the town's population. Persecution against the Jews began immediately after the Nazi rise to power. The town's residents gradually broke off all social and economic contacts with the Jews. In 1935 the Torah scrolls in the town were desecrated, and the Jews were gradually forced to liquidate their businesses.
On Kristallnacht, November 9-10, 1938, the town's synagogue went up in flames and Jewish stores were vandalized. By 1940 21 Jews had emigrated from the town and 13 others left for different cities in Germany. On October 22, 1940, 28 Jews were deported from Buehl to Gurs Concentration Camp in southwestern France, bringing an end to the Jewish community in Buehl. The majority of Buehl's deported Jews perished in the Holocaust, either in Gurs or after their deportation to the camps and ghettos in Eastern Europe.
Ehud Loeb was born in Buehl, Germany, in 1934. On October 22, 1940, Ehud was deported with his parents to France on a transport carrying 6,508 Jews. After a few days they arrived in the Gurs Concentration Camp in southwestern France. Those who managed to survive in the camp were deported in 1942 to Auschwitz, including Ehud's parents.
In 1941 permission was granted for the removal of children from the camp. The operation was carried out by the OSE organization, and children were allowed to leave the camp as long as parental consent had been granted and the children were enlisted either in churches or villages, so that the Gestapo would be able to locate them.
In August 1942 the Gestapo came searching for Ehud, and he was hidden amongst Christian families. Yad Vashem has recognized some of his rescuers as Righteous Among the Nations.
Uri ben Ari was born in Berlin in 1925, and was eight years old when the Nazis rose to power. He fled from Germany in 1939 and settled in Israel. In addition to being a diplomat and a writer, he has filled numerous posts in the Israeli army.
Prof. Walter (Tzvi) Bacharach was born in Hanau, Germany, in 1928. During World War II, he was interned for almost 4 years in the Nazi camps of Westerbork, Theresienstadt, Auschwitz, Taucha, Hasag, and Buchenwald. Forced on a death march, he was eventually liberated by the Americans. He is Professor Emeritus of General History at Bar Ilan University.
1 comment:
will never forget !
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