Ilse Weber
Encyclopedia
Ilse Weber née Herlinger, was born in Witkowitz
near Mährisch-Ostrau. A Jewish poet, she wrote songs and theater pieces for Jewish children. She married Willi Weber in 1930.
She voluntarily was transported to Auschwitz with the children of Theresienstadt and was killed in the gas chambers, along with her son, Tommy.
A notable Czech writer of children's fiction, she fell victim to The Holocaust
. Her most popular book was "Mendel Rosenbusch: Tales for Jewish Children" (1929). The title character, a kind elderly man, mysteriously receives a magic coin that enables him to become invisible at will. He uses this power to perform anonymous good deeds for his neighbors. Weber's sharp observations and gentle humor make these stories appealing for all ages.
As a child she learned to sing and play guitar, lute, mandolin and balalaika, but apparently never considered a career as a musician. Her early fiction, dating from 1925, was collected as "The Scooter Race and Other Stories" (1930).
In 1930 she married Willi Weber and settled in Prague
, where she wrote for children's periodicals and became a producer for Czech Radio. Following the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939 the Webers were able to get their oldest son Hanuš safely to Sweden
on a "Kindertransport
" before they were confined to Prague's Jewish Ghetto. Hanuš was first sent to the U.K. to live with a friend of his mother who was the daughter of a Swedish diplomat. He survived the war in Sweden, and lives in Stockholm in retirement. His son, Tommy, born in 1977, is named in honor of his younger brother, murdered with his mother in Auschwitz.
The Webers arrived at the Theresienstadt concentration camp
in February 1942. Ilse Weber worked as a night nurse in the camp's children's infirmary, doing everything she could for the young patients without the aid of medicine (which was forbidden to Jewish prisoners). She wrote around 60 poems during her imprisonment and set many of them to music, employing deceptively simple tunes and imagery to describe the horror of her surroundings. In performance she accompanied herself on guitar. Her songs include "Lullaby", "I Wandered Through Theresienstadt", "The Lidice Sheep", "And the Rain Falls", and "Avowal of Belief".
When her husband was deported to Auschwitz in October 1944, Ilse Weber volunteered to join him with their son Tommy because she didn't want to break up the family. She and the boy were sent to the gas chamber on arrival. Willi Weber survived them by 30 years. Weber's Theresienstadt poetry was collected in the book "Inside These Walls, Sorrow Lives" (1991) and her songs have been frequently recorded, particularly "Lullaby".
Her works from Theresienstadt have survived and have been published and recorded, most recently by mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter and Christian Gerhaher
(2007). In 2008, the Munich-based publisher Carl Hanser Verlag
brought out a collection of her letters and poems entitled: ILSE WEBER Wann wohl das Leid ein Ende hat" (When will the suffering come to an end) collected by the German historian Ulrike Migdal ISBN; 978-3-446-23050-7. Her son Hanuš participated in a cultural program commemorating his mother's work in Berlin on May 22, 2008. He is the author of a book on her life, Ilse A Love Story Without a Happy Ending, Författares Bokmaskin, Stockholm: 2004. ISBN 91-7910-561-0
Vítkovice (Ostrava)
Vítkovice is an administrative district of the city of Ostrava, capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region in the Czech Republic. Situated on the left bank of the Ostravice River in the Moravian part of the city, Vítkovice was a town in its own right until its incorporation in 1924.-History:The...
near Mährisch-Ostrau. A Jewish poet, she wrote songs and theater pieces for Jewish children. She married Willi Weber in 1930.
She voluntarily was transported to Auschwitz with the children of Theresienstadt and was killed in the gas chambers, along with her son, Tommy.
A notable Czech writer of children's fiction, she fell victim to The Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
. Her most popular book was "Mendel Rosenbusch: Tales for Jewish Children" (1929). The title character, a kind elderly man, mysteriously receives a magic coin that enables him to become invisible at will. He uses this power to perform anonymous good deeds for his neighbors. Weber's sharp observations and gentle humor make these stories appealing for all ages.
As a child she learned to sing and play guitar, lute, mandolin and balalaika, but apparently never considered a career as a musician. Her early fiction, dating from 1925, was collected as "The Scooter Race and Other Stories" (1930).
In 1930 she married Willi Weber and settled in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, where she wrote for children's periodicals and became a producer for Czech Radio. Following the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939 the Webers were able to get their oldest son Hanuš safely to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
on a "Kindertransport
Kindertransport
Kindertransport is the name given to the rescue mission that took place nine months prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. The United Kingdom took in nearly 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from Nazi Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Free City of Danzig...
" before they were confined to Prague's Jewish Ghetto. Hanuš was first sent to the U.K. to live with a friend of his mother who was the daughter of a Swedish diplomat. He survived the war in Sweden, and lives in Stockholm in retirement. His son, Tommy, born in 1977, is named in honor of his younger brother, murdered with his mother in Auschwitz.
The Webers arrived at the Theresienstadt concentration camp
Theresienstadt concentration camp
Theresienstadt concentration camp was a Nazi German ghetto during World War II. It was established by the Gestapo in the fortress and garrison city of Terezín , located in what is now the Czech Republic.-History:The fortress of Terezín was constructed between the years 1780 and 1790 by the orders...
in February 1942. Ilse Weber worked as a night nurse in the camp's children's infirmary, doing everything she could for the young patients without the aid of medicine (which was forbidden to Jewish prisoners). She wrote around 60 poems during her imprisonment and set many of them to music, employing deceptively simple tunes and imagery to describe the horror of her surroundings. In performance she accompanied herself on guitar. Her songs include "Lullaby", "I Wandered Through Theresienstadt", "The Lidice Sheep", "And the Rain Falls", and "Avowal of Belief".
When her husband was deported to Auschwitz in October 1944, Ilse Weber volunteered to join him with their son Tommy because she didn't want to break up the family. She and the boy were sent to the gas chamber on arrival. Willi Weber survived them by 30 years. Weber's Theresienstadt poetry was collected in the book "Inside These Walls, Sorrow Lives" (1991) and her songs have been frequently recorded, particularly "Lullaby".
Her works from Theresienstadt have survived and have been published and recorded, most recently by mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter and Christian Gerhaher
Christian Gerhaher
Christian Gerhaher is a German baritone and bass singer in opera, concert and notably Lied.- Biography :Christian Gerhaher studied with Paul Kuen and Raimund Grumbach at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, and Lied with Friedemann Berger, already together with his accompanist for decades...
(2007). In 2008, the Munich-based publisher Carl Hanser Verlag
Carl Hanser Verlag
Carl Hanser Verlag is a German publishing house, established in 1928 by Carl Hanser in Munich. Among the authors he published are Herta Müller, Martin Mosebach, Reinhard Jirgl, and David Grossman....
brought out a collection of her letters and poems entitled: ILSE WEBER Wann wohl das Leid ein Ende hat" (When will the suffering come to an end) collected by the German historian Ulrike Migdal ISBN; 978-3-446-23050-7. Her son Hanuš participated in a cultural program commemorating his mother's work in Berlin on May 22, 2008. He is the author of a book on her life, Ilse A Love Story Without a Happy Ending, Författares Bokmaskin, Stockholm: 2004. ISBN 91-7910-561-0
Works
- Jüdische Kindermärchen
- Mendel Rosenbusch
- Das Trittrollerwettrennen und andere Erzählungen (1927–1930)
- Ich wandre durch Theresienstadt
- Ade, Kamerad
- Und der Regen rinnt
- Wiegala
- In deinen Mauern wohnt das Leid - Gedichte aus dem KZ Theresienstadt (1991 recording)