Herbert Baum
Encyclopedia
Herbert Baum was a Jewish member of the German resistance against National Socialism.
Baum was born in Mosina
, Province of Posen
; his family moved to Berlin
when he was young. After he graduated secondary school there, he took on an apprenticeship as an electrician, which he carried on with as a profession.
By 1926, he was an active member of different left wing
and Jewish youth organizations, and from 1931, he became a member of the Young Communist League of Germany
(KJVD).
After the seizure of power by the National Socialists he began, together with his wife Marianne Baum (February 9, 1912 - August 18, 1942) and friends, Martin and Sala Kochmann, to organize meetings in the Kochmann drawing-room and other members' apartments about dealing with the threat of Nazism
. The circle of friends, most of whom were Jewish, designated Herbert Baum as chairman. Up to 100 youths attended meetings at various times, and topics included political debates and cultural discussion. The group openly distributed leaflets arguing against National Socialism.
During 1940, Baum was rounded up and was forced into slave labour in the electro motors works of the Siemens-Schuckertwerke (today Siemens AG
). From 1941, he headed a group of Jewish slave labourers at the plant, who, to escape deportation concentration camps, went to the Berlin underground
On 18 May 1942, the group organised an arson
, attacking an anticommunist and anti-Semitic propaganda
display prepared by Joseph Goebbels
at the Berliner Lustgarten. The attack was only partially successful and, within days, a large number of the groups' members were arrested and 20 were sentenced to death. Baum and his wife Marianne were arrested on May 22. Herbert Baum was tortured to death in Moabit
Prison on June 11, 1942. His wife, Marianne, was executed in Plötzensee Prison
on August 18, 1942.
in Berlin, commemorating the Herbert Baum Group and there is also a street by the cemetery named after him called Herbert-Baum-Straße. In the Berliner Lustgarten
, a monument designed by Jürgen Raue was erected in 1981, which remembers the 1942 attack. While the East German government, which established these memorials, emphasized Baum's allegiance to Communism, other historians (as well as veterans of the groups) have noted his groups' multiple political and cultural influences, and the significance of the Baum groups as an example of Jewish resistance to Nazism.
Baum was born in Mosina
Mosina
Mosina is a town in Poznań County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland, about 20 km south Poznań, with 12,107 inhabitants .-External links:*...
, Province of Posen
Province of Posen
The Province of Posen was a province of Prussia from 1848–1918 and as such part of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918. The area was about 29,000 km2....
; his family moved to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
when he was young. After he graduated secondary school there, he took on an apprenticeship as an electrician, which he carried on with as a profession.
By 1926, he was an active member of different left wing
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
and Jewish youth organizations, and from 1931, he became a member of the Young Communist League of Germany
Young Communist League of Germany
The Young Communist League of Germany was a political youth organization in Germany. It was formed in 1920 from the Free Socialist Youth of the Communist Party of Germany, which itself was formed in October 1918, with support from the Spartacus League . The KJVD was created in 1925...
(KJVD).
After the seizure of power by the National Socialists he began, together with his wife Marianne Baum (February 9, 1912 - August 18, 1942) and friends, Martin and Sala Kochmann, to organize meetings in the Kochmann drawing-room and other members' apartments about dealing with the threat of Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
. The circle of friends, most of whom were Jewish, designated Herbert Baum as chairman. Up to 100 youths attended meetings at various times, and topics included political debates and cultural discussion. The group openly distributed leaflets arguing against National Socialism.
During 1940, Baum was rounded up and was forced into slave labour in the electro motors works of the Siemens-Schuckertwerke (today Siemens AG
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
). From 1941, he headed a group of Jewish slave labourers at the plant, who, to escape deportation concentration camps, went to the Berlin underground
On 18 May 1942, the group organised an arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
, attacking an anticommunist and anti-Semitic propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
display prepared by Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
at the Berliner Lustgarten. The attack was only partially successful and, within days, a large number of the groups' members were arrested and 20 were sentenced to death. Baum and his wife Marianne were arrested on May 22. Herbert Baum was tortured to death in Moabit
Moabit
Moabit is an inner city locality of Berlin. Since Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it belongs to the newly regrouped governmental borough of Mitte. Previously, from 1920 to 2001, it belonged to the borough of Tiergarten. Moabit's borders are defined by three watercourses, the Spree, the...
Prison on June 11, 1942. His wife, Marianne, was executed in Plötzensee Prison
Plötzensee Prison
Plötzensee Prison was a Prussian institution built in Berlin between 1869 and 1879 near the lake Plötzensee, but in the neighbouring borough of Charlottenburg, on Hüttigpfad off Saatwinkler Damm. During Adolf Hitler's time in power from 1933 to 1945, more than 2,500 people were executed at...
on August 18, 1942.
Legacy
There is a plaque in the Weißensee CemeteryWeißensee Cemetery
The Weißensee Cemetery is a Jewish cemetery located in the neighborhood of Weißensee in Berlin, Germany. It is the second largest Jewish cemetery in Europe. The cemetery covers approximately and contains approximately 115,000 graves. It was dedicated in 1880....
in Berlin, commemorating the Herbert Baum Group and there is also a street by the cemetery named after him called Herbert-Baum-Straße. In the Berliner Lustgarten
Lustgarten
The Lustgarten is a park on Museum Island in central Berlin, near the site of the former Berliner Stadtschloss of which it was originally a part...
, a monument designed by Jürgen Raue was erected in 1981, which remembers the 1942 attack. While the East German government, which established these memorials, emphasized Baum's allegiance to Communism, other historians (as well as veterans of the groups) have noted his groups' multiple political and cultural influences, and the significance of the Baum groups as an example of Jewish resistance to Nazism.
External links
- German Resistance Memorial Center Herbert Baum (Includes Photo)
- German Resistance Memorial Center Marianne Baum (Includes Photo)