DOCSLIB.ORG

LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION Paying Tribute to the Life of Leo Bretholz, Distinguished Citizen, and Devoted Member of His Community

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION Paying Tribute to the Life of Leo Bretholz, Distinguished Citizen, and Devoted Member of His Community LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION paying tribute to the life of Leo Bretholz, distinguished citizen, and devoted member of his community WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to pay tribute to the lives of those esteemed individuals of world renown who distinguished themselves through their life's work, and publicly acknowledge their endeavors which have enhanced the basic humanity among us all; and WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is proud to inscribe upon its records this memoriam for Leo Bretholz, author, Holocaust survivor, and advo- cate, who died on March 8, 2014, at the age of 93; and WHEREAS, Leo Bretholz will be long remembered for his daring escape from the Nazis by jumping off a moving train en route to the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp; his 1998 memoir, LEAP INTO DARKNESS: SEVEN YEARS ON THE RUN IN WARTIME EUROPE, chronicled his experiences; and WHEREAS, Leo Bretholz was also a major voice in the campaign to gain reparations from companies that transported victims to concentration camps during World War II; and WHEREAS, Leo Bretholz was born in Vienna, Austria, on March 6, 1921, to Polish immigrants; his father, Max Bretholz, worked as a tailor and amateur Yiddish actor, and his mother, Dora (Fischmann) Bretholz worked as a seamstress; and WHEREAS, At his mother's insistence, Leo Bretholz fled Austria after it was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938; he traveled by rail to Trier, a city in western Germany, and swam across the Sauer River to Luxembourg where he was met by refugee workers who smuggled him into Belgium; and WHEREAS, After the German invasion of that country in 1940, Leo Bretholz was deported to France; he entered Switzerland in 1942 but was returned to France and ultimately to the Drancy transit camp northeast of Paris, from which he and thousands of others were sent east, on a train, bound for the death camp at Auschwitz, in what is now Poland; and WHEREAS, Leo Bretholz escaped from the train through a cattle car window on November 6, 1942; he and a friend removed articles of cloth- ing, soaked the clothing in human waste from the bucket and repeatedly wrung out the moisture to increase the fabric's strength, and then used the clothes to force open the bars and jump to freedom; and WHEREAS, Of 1,000 people on his train to Auschwitz, only five survived the war; many of Leo Bretholz' relatives also perished; and WHEREAS, This resourceful man ultimately joined the Jewish Resistance Group Compagnons De France, known as "La Sixieme," falsifying documents and scouting Germans, and later assisting refugees in France after the 1944 D-Day invasion; and WHEREAS, Leo Bretholz came to the United States in 1947, settled in the Baltimore area and became a United States citizen; he worked for much of his career in textiles, and sales, and later managed bookstores; and WHEREAS, Remembering an elderly woman on his cattle car who asked that he tell others of their experience if he managed to escape, Leo Bretholz frequently recounted in speeches before lawmakers, schoolchildren and at many public events his story of persecution and survival; and WHEREAS, In recent years Leo Bretholz became a leader among activists who have called for reparations from governments and companies in Europe that aided the Nazi regime, a cause he fought for to his dying day; and WHEREAS, Predeceased by his wife of 57 years, the former Florine Cohen, Leo Bretholz is survived by his three children, Myron Bretholz, Denise Harris, and Edie Norton; a half-sister; and four grandchildren; and WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is proud to recognize the life of Leo Bretholz for the courage and fortitude he displayed throughout his many years; his ceaseless work against hate and prejudice has benefited the world in immeasurable ways; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to pay tribute to the life of Leo Bretholz, noting his meritorious life and significant accomplishments; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran- smitted to the family of Leo Bretholz..
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Student-Directed Play Goes 'Beyond Therapy'
    F R O S T B U R G S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y StateLineswww.frostburg.edu/admin/foundation/news.htm For and about FSU people A publication of the FSU Office of Advancement Volume 31, Number 9, October 23, 2000 Copy deadline: noon Wednesday, 228 Hitchins or [email protected] Community Kids Student-Directed Play to Trick-or-Treat Goes ‘Beyond Therapy’ at Downhill Halls The first of the Halloween is coming ... and so are Season Too! student- the celebrations! Sunday, Oct. 29, is the directed productions date for FSU’s annual Trick or Treat for community children. will be “Beyond Since 1992, this event has attracted hundreds of children Therapy” by Christo- and their parents, who have enjoyed traditional trick-or- pher Durang. The treating in a safe environment, as well as events such as comedy will be haunted rooms and floors, storytelling, Halloween cartoons performed Friday and and the very popular parent refreshment station! Saturday, Oct. 27 and 28, at 8 p.m. in the F. Perry Smith Please feel free to bring your children to the downhill area Studio Theatre. residence halls (Annapolis, Cambridge, Cumberland, Frederick Senior theatre major Lisa Gordon is directing. The cast and Westminster halls) between the hours of 2 and 5 p.m. includes Andrea Smith, Joe Higdon, Mike Abendshien, There will be guides to welcome you and to direct you to the Christina Allen, Chris Krysztofiak and Rob Simkin. various activities when you visit the downhill residence halls. The play is about an unlikely couple and their oddball Admission is free.
    [Show full text]
  • Florida State University Libraries
    )ORULGD6WDWH8QLYHUVLW\/LEUDULHV 2019 Surviving POW Camp Oflag XVII-A: Actions of a Few Shelby Young Follow this and additional works at DigiNole: FSU's Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES SURVIVING POW CAMP OFLAG XVII-A: ACTIONS OF A FEW By SHELBY YOUNG A Thesis submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation with Honors in the Major Degree Awarded: Spring, 2019 3 Preface I began this journey of research in 2016. My research interests began with World War II and the occupation of France. I had the chance to complete an oral history report with World War II survivors and their families in the region of Alsace, France. This research then evolved into my interest in completing a thesis. In my original oral report, I came across the film Sous Le Manteau. Historians began to discuss Oflag XVII-A because of this film’s clandestine raw footage of a POW camp. The more I researched on the film the more I read about an escape attempt. However, in some sources I read there were mentions of an escape attempt sponsored by the French Resistance. The more I researched, I came to realize that this escape attempt, that is often discussed out of context, occurred at the same prisoner of war camp Sous Le Manteau was filmed at. I originally planned to analyze Sous Le Manteau as a form of resistance but then turned to discuss the French language as a barrier or an aid in this escape attempt among the French prisoners.
    [Show full text]
  • USHMM Finding
    http://collections.ushmm.org Contact [email protected] for further information about this collection United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Interview with Leo Bretholz June 4, 1998 RG-50.549.02*0016 This is a verbatim transcript of spoken word. It is not the primary source, and it has not been checked for spelling or accuracy. http://collections.ushmm.org Contact [email protected] for further information about this collection PREFACE The following oral history testimony is the result of an audio taped interview with Leo Bretholz, conducted on June 4, 1998 on behalf of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The interview is part of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's collection of oral testimonies. Rights to the interview are held by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The reader should bear in mind that this is a verbatim transcript of spoken, rather than written prose. This transcript has been neither checked for spelling nor verified for accuracy, and therefore, it is possible that there are errors. As a result, nothing should be quoted or used from this transcript without first checking it against the taped interview. This is a verbatim transcript of spoken word. It is not the primary source, and it has not been checked for spelling or accuracy. http://collections.ushmm.org Contact [email protected] for further information about this collection Interview with Leo Bretholz June 4, 1998 Beginning Tape One, Side A Question: Just make sure we’re recording here. Why don’t you just say a few words and - - say your name. Answer: A few simple words? Leo Bretholz is my name and recording Holocaust stories is my game.
    [Show full text]
  • Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
    508680 Cover 8/16/08 7:23 AM Page 1 2007-2008 Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies The people, programs, and events advancing scholarship in the field of Holocaust and genocide studies YEAR END ACTIVITIES AND 2007 GIFT REPORT June 2007 through May 2008 508680 Cover 8/16/08 7:23 AM Page 2 Whoever fails to increase knowledge, decreases knowledge —The Ethics of the Fathers 508680 Text 8/16/08 7:55 AM Page 1 LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR 1 Letter from the Director August 2008 Dear Friends: Writing in 1940, after Germany had in- These are but a few of the knotty problems vaded Poland and before the Japanese Center doctoral students research. Our bombed Pearl Harbor, economist Mary public lecture series engaged equally Barnett Gilson took aim at the mission of bold subjects: Caroline Elkins on the his- the classroom in her book, What’s Past is tory of Britain’s internment and merciless Prologue. “Education fails,” she said, treatment of 1.5 million Kikuyu in Kenya “in so far as it does not stir in students a and the obfuscation of that history through sharp awareness of their obligations to systematic destruction of documents. Julia society and furnish a few guideposts point- Chaitin on confronting barriers to dialogue ing toward the implementation of these between Jews and Palestinians. And Jens obligations.” Gilson would have given the Meierhenrich on prosecuting concentration Center top marks. From the establishment camp personnel (and who else in the of a Clark chapter of STAND (a student future?) under international law.
    [Show full text]
  • A Holocaust Education Program at Congregation Shaarey Tikvah
    A Holocaust Education Program at Congregation Shaarey Tikvah FACE TO FACE With History, A Survivor & Hope THE BUTTERFLY The last, the very last, So richly, brightly, dazzlingly yellow. Perhaps if the sun’s tears would sing against a white stone... Such, such a yellow Is carried lightly way up high. It went away I’m sure because it wished to kiss the world good-bye. For seven weeks I’ve lived in here, Penned up inside this ghetto. But I have found what I love here. The dandelions call to me And the white chestnut branches in the court. Only I never saw another butterfly. That butterfly was the last one. Butterflies don’t live in here, in the ghetto. Pavel Friedmann Pavel Friedmann was born on January 7, 1921 in Prague and deported to Theresienstadt on April 26, 1942. His butterfly poem was written on June 4, 1942. He died in Auschwitz on September 29, 1944. A Holocaust Education Program For Middle and High School Students at Congregation Shaarey Tikvah Beachwood, Ohio http://www.shaareytikvah.org/face-to-face TABLE OF CONTENTS Definitions of the Holocaust 1 Judaic Vocabulary 2 Holocaust Vocabulary 3 Difficulty in Documenting Numbers 4 Total Deaths from Nazi Genocidal Policies 4 Estimated Number of Jews Killed in the Final Solution 5 Jewish Deaths by Location of Death 5 Deceptive Language Used by the Nazis 6 Poem: Indifference 6 Resistance During the Holocaust 7 Poem: Resistance is… 8 Righteous Persons During the Holocaust 9 Nationalities of Righteous Among the Nations 10 Poem: Righteous of the World 10 Holocaust Chronology 11 Reflections and Questions 15 Selected Annotated Bibliography Websites 16 Books 16 Videos 28 Sources for Art Work 32 Definitions of the Holocaust From Major Holocaust Museums Definition One.
    [Show full text]
  • Board Members, Participants, and Faculty in the 2019 TOLI Summer Seminar in New York City
    ® Board members, participants, and faculty in the 2019 TOLI Summer Seminar in New York City. 2019 P a g e | 1 Table of Contents I. About The Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights 2 Programs in the United States II. The 2019 Summer Seminar on Holocaust Education in New York City 2 III. Leadership Institute 6 IV. Professional Development & Conferences 8 V. Mini-grant Program 11 VI. Satellite Seminar Program 22 Programs in Europe VII. Summer seminars 30 VIII. Mini-grant Program 34 Faculty and Staff of The Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights: Sondra Perl, PhD, Senior Director, US Programs Jennifer Lemberg, PhD, Associate Director, US Programs Wendy Warren, EdD, Satellite Seminar Coordinator Oana Nestian Sandu, PhD, Director, International Programs Alice Braziller, MA, Teaching Staff, New York P a g e | 2 I. The Olga Legyel Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights (TOLI) Never Again Begins in the Classroom ® The mission of TOLI is to provide educators with professional development seminars that link the lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides to current world events, thereby working with teachers to promote a human rights and social justice agenda in their classrooms. II. 2019 Summer Seminar on Holocaust Education The TOLI Summer Seminar, now entering its 15th year, is held every June at the Memorial Library in New York City. This 11-day seminar is led by TOLI Senior Director Sondra Perl and Associate Director Jennifer Lemberg. In 2019, 25 middle school, high school, and college teachers from across the United States and Europe were accepted through a competitive application.
    [Show full text]
  • Teaching the Holocaust Nonfiction Resources
    TEACHING THE HOLOCAUST NONFICTION RESOURCES This list has been compiled to assist educators in their search for literature to use in teaching the Holocaust to children at all grade levels, K-12. This list is comprehensive but certainly not exhaustive. This research aid contains NONFICTION books whose primary topic is Jewish children who lived during or through the Holocaust. Comprising it is a mixture of literature about Jewish children who did survive the Holocaust and those who did not (most of which are in diary format). Although far fewer in number, books that tell of a person’s life after the War (i.e. in Eretz Israel or the United States) have also been included. Poetry can be found on the fiction resources list. A title’s inclusion herein was based solely upon whatever summary of a book could be found, which has been provided (copied-and-pasted) along with its source (as a website address). The author of this listing made very minor corrections to summaries where needed, including but not limited to: italicizing book titles; changing foreign words (to make spelling uniform throughout); editing for overall mechanics and spelling. Not included in this listing: • Any books whose title suggested appropriateness for inclusion on this list but for which a summary could not be found. • Books whose primary topic is of others (adults or children) who helped Jewish children (to hide, etc.) during the Holocaust or who helped to rescue them. • Books told from the perspective of a non-Jewish child who may have witnessed the mistreatment of Jews or assisted any Jewish person in some way.
    [Show full text]
  • USHMM Finding
    United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Interview with Leo Bretholz July 31, 1989 and September 27, 1989 RG-50.030*0038 PREFACE The following oral history testimony is the result of a videotaped interview with Leo Bretholz, conducted by Linda Kuzmack on July 31, 1989 and September 27, 1989 on behalf of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The interview took place in Washington, DC and is part of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's collection of oral testimonies. Rights to the interview are held by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The reader should bear in mind that this is a verbatim transcript of spoken, rather than written prose. This transcript has been neither checked for spelling nor verified for accuracy, and therefore, it is possible that there are errors. As a result, nothing should be quoted or used from this transcript without first checking it against the taped interview. LEO BRETHOLZ July 31, 1989 01:00:11 Q: Could you please tell us your name and where you were born? A: My name is Leo Bretholz. Do I have to spell that? I usually do have to. And I was born in Vienna, Austria. Q: In what year? A: 1921. Q: Tell us about the family which you grew up in. A: Our family was a normal, or what you might call a “normal family.” My father was a tailor. They were originally from Poland. My parents were -- came to Austria right after the first World War, married in Austria, and there were three children in the family.
    [Show full text]
  • Treatment of Latin Americans of Japanese Descent, European Americans, and Jewish Refugees During World War Ii
    TREATMENT OF LATIN AMERICANS OF JAPANESE DESCENT, EUROPEAN AMERICANS, AND JEWISH REFUGEES DURING WORLD WAR II HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON IMMIGRATION, CITIZENSHIP, REFUGEES, BORDER SECURITY, AND INTERNATIONAL LAW OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION MARCH 19, 2009 Serial No. 111–13 Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://judiciary.house.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 48–322 PDF WASHINGTON : 2009 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:22 Jul 15, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 H:\WORK\IMMIG\031909\48322.000 HJUD1 PsN: 48322 COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY JOHN CONYERS, JR., Michigan, Chairman HOWARD L. BERMAN, California LAMAR SMITH, Texas RICK BOUCHER, Virginia F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., JERROLD NADLER, New York Wisconsin ROBERT C. ‘‘BOBBY’’ SCOTT, Virginia HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina MELVIN L. WATT, North Carolina ELTON GALLEGLY, California ZOE LOFGREN, California BOB GOODLATTE, Virginia SHEILA JACKSON LEE, Texas DANIEL E. LUNGREN, California MAXINE WATERS, California DARRELL E. ISSA, California WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts J. RANDY FORBES, Virginia ROBERT WEXLER, Florida STEVE KING, Iowa STEVE COHEN, Tennessee TRENT FRANKS, Arizona HENRY C. ‘‘HANK’’ JOHNSON, JR., LOUIE GOHMERT, Texas Georgia JIM JORDAN, Ohio PEDRO PIERLUISI, Puerto Rico TED POE, Texas LUIS V. GUTIERREZ, Illinois JASON CHAFFETZ, Utah BRAD SHERMAN, California TOM ROONEY, Florida TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin GREGG HARPER, Mississippi CHARLES A.
    [Show full text]
  • The Compromise of Return: Viennese Jews After the Holocaust
    PRAISE FOR THE COMPROMISE OF RETURN “In an engaging, thoroughly researched study, Elizabeth Anthony reveals how and why Jewish returnees came back to ‘their’ city, Vienna, but not to Austria. They persisted in reclaiming their familial, professional, and polit- ical homes, as they compromised with ongoing individual and governmen- tal antisemitism, including the refusal to return their property. Elegantly written, Anthony’s book highlights the hardships and disappointments of Jewish survivors as they settled back ‘home.’” —Marion Kaplan, author of Hitler’s Jewish Refugees: Hope and Anxiety in Portugal “With The Compromise of Return Elizabeth Anthony brings history alive. She paints a vivid picture of the life of Jewish Austrians who chose to remain in or returned to Vienna after the fall of the Nazi regime. Through poignant personal interviews coupled with meticulous archival research and in conversation with international scholarship, the author convinc- ingly argues how their unique Jewish-Viennese identities allowed them to remain in an anti-Semitic society that presented itself as Hitler’s first vic- tim. The Compromise of Return, the first comprehensive English-language study on the topic, constitutes a major contribution to post-war Austrian and Holocaust histories.” —Jacqueline Vansant, author of Reclaiming Heimat: Trauma and Mourning in Memoirs by Jewish Austrian Reémigrés “Deeply researched and beautifully written, this book tells the poignant story of Jewish survivors’ return to Vienna, really for the first time. Brim- ming with insights, it gives voice to the returnees; it is they who stand at the core of this history.” —Dirk Rupnow, Institute for Contemporary History, University of Innsbruck The Compromise of Return THE COMPROMISE OF RETURN VIENNESE JEWS AFTER THE HOLOCAUST ELIZABETH ANTHONY WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS Detroit © 2021 by Elizabeth Anthony.
    [Show full text]
  • Holocaust-Era Claims in the 21St Century Hearing
    S. HRG. 112–551 HOLOCAUST-ERA CLAIMS IN THE 21ST CENTURY HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION JUNE 20, 2012 Serial No. J–112–82 Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary ( U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 76–040 WASHINGTON : 2012 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY PATRICK J. LEAHY, Vermont, Chairman HERB KOHL, Wisconsin CHUCK GRASSLEY, Iowa DIANNE FEINSTEIN, California ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah CHUCK SCHUMER, New York JON KYL, Arizona DICK DURBIN, Illinois JEFF SESSIONS, Alabama SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, Rhode Island LINDSEY GRAHAM, South Carolina AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota JOHN CORNYN, Texas AL FRANKEN, Minnesota MICHAEL S. LEE, Utah CHRISTOPHER A. COONS, Delaware TOM COBURN, Oklahoma RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut BRUCE A. COHEN, Chief Counsel and Staff Director KOLAN DAVIS, Republican Chief Counsel and Staff Director (II) C O N T E N T S STATEMENTS OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS Page Schumer, Hon. Chuck, a U.S. Senator from the State of New York ................... 3 Sessions, Hon. Jeff, a U.S. Senator from the State of Alabama .......................... 6 WITNESSES Bindenagel, J.D., Vice President for Community, Government, and Inter- national Affairs, DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois ...................................... 15 Bretholz, Leo, Holocaust Survivor, Author of ‘‘Leap into Darkness,’’ Baltimore, Maryland ............................................................................................................... 10 Firestone, Renee, Holocaust Survivor, Los Angeles, California ........................... 14 Nelson, Hon. Bill, a U.S. Senator from the State of Florida ...............................
    [Show full text]
  • CONGRESSIONAL RECORD— Extensions of Remarks E614 HON
    E614 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks April 29, 2014 budget that recycles many of the rejected Tea CONGRATULATING THE HONOREES Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me Party proposals from the past. Once again, OF THE MID-MAINE CHAMBER OF in honoring Mr. Wilkin for his contribution to all Congressional Republicans are demonstrating COMMERCE’S 51ST ANNUAL of our veterans and their families. their true priorities: providing massive tax AWARDS DINNER f breaks for the wealthiest Americans and cor- PASSING OF HOLOCAUST porations at the expense of Middle Class HON. MICHAEL H. MICHAUD SURVIVOR LEO BRETHOLZ America. OF MAINE This ten year Republican budget is the IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY wrong vision for Minnesota and America. Yet Tuesday, April 29, 2014 OF NEW YORK again, the GOP abandons investments that Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ensure broad-based economic prosperity recognize the honorees of the Mid-Maine Tuesday, April 29, 2014 today and into the future. This budget jeopard- Chamber of Commerce’s 51st Annual Awards izes the health and economic security of our Dinner. The Mid-Maine Chamber of Com- Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. seniors by re-opening the donut hole and end- merce serves the people and business com- Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the ing the Medicare guarantee. Their proposal munities of the region, working hard to extraordinary life of Leo Bretholz, a Holocaust fails our children by making irresponsible cuts strengthen economic opportunity throughout survivor who passed away in his home on to our schools and Pell Grants, putting the the area and the state.
    [Show full text]