Max Mannheimer
Encyclopedia
Max Mannheimer is an author and painter and survivor of the Holocaust. Except for one brother, he lost his entire family in the Holocaust, including his new wife. For decades, he did not speak about his experiences, despite nightmares and depression. In 1986, while traveling in the United States, he happened to see a swastika
and the sight of it triggered a nervous breakdown
. After that, he began to speak about his experiences at the hand of Nazis, giving talks to young people and adults, at school and universities. Mannheimer has won many honors and awards for his work.
, North Moravia, in what was then Czechoslowakia and is today in the Czech Republic
. His mother was Margarethe (Markéta), née Gelb, born April 4, 1893 in Uherský Brod
, near the Hungarian
border. His father was Jakob Leib Mannheimer, born May 24, 1888 in Myślenice
, Poland
. His childhood was a happy one. In October 1938, however, Nazi Germany annexed the Sudetenland
, according to the Munich Agreement
dated September 29, 1938. Weeks later, on November 10, Kristallnacht
, his father was arrested and taken into "protective custody
". At 18, Mannheimer would have been taken too, but his mother lied to the police about his age. His father was released after promising to leave Germany within eight days and on January 27, 1939, the family moved to Ungarisch Brod, today known as Uherský Brod
.
Within months, Nazi troops and military units were being seen in their new city and the square near their home was renamed after Adolf Hitler
. Their freedoms were increasingly restricted by the laws against Jews
, but Mannheimer nonetheless got married and began to make a life for himself.
In 1942, Mannheimer's brother, Erich was deported to Auschwitz. On February 2, 1943, four days before Mannheimer's 23rd birthday, he, his mother, father, brothers Ernst (Arnošt) and Edgar, his 15-year old sister, Katharina (called Käthe), and his 22-year old wife, Eva (née Bock) were arrested and deported to Auschwitz after a brief stop at Theresienstadt. Mannheimer lost most of his family upon arrival at Auschwitz. His parents, sister and wife were taken in the first selektion. Shortly thereafter, his brothers Erich and Ernst were taken. Mannheimer survived three selections — and an operation in the Auschwitz hospital by a doctor who was also a prisoner.
In October 1943, Mannheimer and his younger brother, Edger were sent to the Warsaw Ghetto
to clear rubble. In July 1944, he was sent on a death march
to Dachau, arriving on August 6, 1944. After three weeks in quarantine, he was sent to Allach
, a Dachau subcamp where he worked at a BMW
factory. At the beginning of 1945, he and his brother were sent to Mühldorf subcamp
, which was evacuated by train on April 28, 1945. The train was liberated by American troops on April 30, 1945 in Seeshaupt
. In the end, only Mannheimer and his brother Edgar survived.
, and weighing a scant 75 pounds (34 kilograms), he swore he would never again set foot on German soil. However, shortly thereafter, he fell in love with a young German, Elfriede Eiselt, who had been in the German Resistance
, whom he married, returning to Germany in 1946. His second wife died from cancer in 1964. Today, he is married to an American and lives near Munich
. He has a daughter from his second marriage and a son from his third.
From 1947-1962, he worked at a Jewish welfare agency and a newspaper. He began painting under the name ben jakov, his Hebrew name
, in the 1950s. His first attempt to make paintings about the past was in 1954. His first show was in 1975 and numerous one-man shows in Germany and other countries followed. Paintings by "ben jakov" are untitled.
He became known through his lectures about his experiences in the concentration camps. For decades, he never spoke about his experiences, but had suffered nightmares and depression. On a trip to the United States in 1986, he happened to see a swastika
and fell apart, suffering a nervous breakdown
. Since the mid-1980s, he has been giving lectures to young people and adults in schools, universities and elsewhere as an eye witness to the horrors of Third Reich and the Nazi era. He also gives groups of school children tours of Dachau. He says that the lectures are a form of therapy for him, that he'd like to forget the past because it has given him nightmares and caused him depression, but feels a duty to those who did not survive to never forget.
Mannheimer is an honorary member of Gegen Vergessen – Für Demokratie ("Against Forgetting - For Democracy"), the chairman of which is Joachim Gauck
. Mannheimer is also chairman of "Lagergemeinschaft Dachau" and vice president of Comité International de Dachau
(International Dachau Committee).
Academy. The prize is awarded every two years to outstanding individuals who advance the cause labor and democratic socialism. Other awards and honors include:
Swastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
and the sight of it triggered a nervous breakdown
Nervous breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
. After that, he began to speak about his experiences at the hand of Nazis, giving talks to young people and adults, at school and universities. Mannheimer has won many honors and awards for his work.
Biography
Mannheimer was born in NeutitscheinNový Jicín
Nový Jičín is a town in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has ca. 26,500 inhabitants. The city is situated on the spurs of the Carpathian Mountains about from the Czech Republic's 3rd biggest city, Ostrava...
, North Moravia, in what was then Czechoslowakia and is today in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. His mother was Margarethe (Markéta), née Gelb, born April 4, 1893 in Uherský Brod
Uherský Brod
Uherský Brod is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It is situated in the south-east of Moravia . It lies in the Vizovice Highlands and near the White Carpathian Mountains ....
, near the Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
border. His father was Jakob Leib Mannheimer, born May 24, 1888 in Myślenice
Myslenice
Myślenice is a town in southern Poland, situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship , previously in Kraków Voivodeship . Population: 20,261.-Twin towns — Sister cities:Myślenice is twinned with: Bełchatów, Poland- Sports :...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. His childhood was a happy one. In October 1938, however, Nazi Germany annexed the Sudetenland
Sudetenland
Sudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the northern, southwest and western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia being within Czechoslovakia.The...
, according to the Munich Agreement
Munich Agreement
The Munich Pact was an agreement permitting the Nazi German annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. The Sudetenland were areas along Czech borders, mainly inhabited by ethnic Germans. The agreement was negotiated at a conference held in Munich, Germany, among the major powers of Europe without...
dated September 29, 1938. Weeks later, on November 10, Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, and also Reichskristallnacht, Pogromnacht, and Novemberpogrome, was a pogrom or series of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on 9–10 November 1938.Jewish homes were ransacked, as were shops, towns and...
, his father was arrested and taken into "protective custody
Protective custody
Protective custody is a type of imprisonment to protect a prisoner from harm, either from outside sources or other prisoners. Many administrators believe the level of violence, or the underlying threat of violence within prisoners, is a chief factor causing the need for PC units...
". At 18, Mannheimer would have been taken too, but his mother lied to the police about his age. His father was released after promising to leave Germany within eight days and on January 27, 1939, the family moved to Ungarisch Brod, today known as Uherský Brod
Uherský Brod
Uherský Brod is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It is situated in the south-east of Moravia . It lies in the Vizovice Highlands and near the White Carpathian Mountains ....
.
Within months, Nazi troops and military units were being seen in their new city and the square near their home was renamed after Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
. Their freedoms were increasingly restricted by the laws against Jews
Nuremberg Laws
The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 were antisemitic laws in Nazi Germany introduced at the annual Nuremberg Rally of the Nazi Party. After the takeover of power in 1933 by Hitler, Nazism became an official ideology incorporating scientific racism and antisemitism...
, but Mannheimer nonetheless got married and began to make a life for himself.
In 1942, Mannheimer's brother, Erich was deported to Auschwitz. On February 2, 1943, four days before Mannheimer's 23rd birthday, he, his mother, father, brothers Ernst (Arnošt) and Edgar, his 15-year old sister, Katharina (called Käthe), and his 22-year old wife, Eva (née Bock) were arrested and deported to Auschwitz after a brief stop at Theresienstadt. Mannheimer lost most of his family upon arrival at Auschwitz. His parents, sister and wife were taken in the first selektion. Shortly thereafter, his brothers Erich and Ernst were taken. Mannheimer survived three selections — and an operation in the Auschwitz hospital by a doctor who was also a prisoner.
In October 1943, Mannheimer and his younger brother, Edger were sent to the Warsaw Ghetto
Warsaw Ghetto
The Warsaw Ghetto was the largest of all Jewish Ghettos in Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II. It was established in the Polish capital between October and November 15, 1940, in the territory of General Government of the German-occupied Poland, with over 400,000 Jews from the vicinity...
to clear rubble. In July 1944, he was sent on a death march
Death marches (Holocaust)
The death marches refer to the forcible movement between Autumn 1944 and late April 1945 by Nazi Germany of thousands of prisoners from German concentration camps near the war front to camps inside Germany.-General:...
to Dachau, arriving on August 6, 1944. After three weeks in quarantine, he was sent to Allach
Allach (concentration camp)
-History:Allach was opened on March 19th, 1943 as the largest subcamp of Dachau concentration camp because of the shortage of workforce in the armament and building industry...
, a Dachau subcamp where he worked at a BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
factory. At the beginning of 1945, he and his brother were sent to Mühldorf subcamp
Mühldorf subcamp
In mid-1944, the Schutzstaffel established at Mühldorf in Bavaria the Mühldorf camp complex, a satellite system of the Dachau concentration camp to provide labor for an underground installation for the production of the Messerschmitt 262 , a jet fighter designed to challenge Allied air superiority...
, which was evacuated by train on April 28, 1945. The train was liberated by American troops on April 30, 1945 in Seeshaupt
Seeshaupt
Seeshaupt is a municipality in the Weilheim-Schongau district, in Bavaria, Germany....
. In the end, only Mannheimer and his brother Edgar survived.
After liberation
After his release from a lazaretLazaretto
A lazaretto or lazaret is a quarantine station for maritime travellers. Lazarets can be ships permanently at anchor, isolated islands, or mainland buildings. Until 1908, lazarets were also used for disinfecting postal items, usually by fumigation...
, and weighing a scant 75 pounds (34 kilograms), he swore he would never again set foot on German soil. However, shortly thereafter, he fell in love with a young German, Elfriede Eiselt, who had been in the German Resistance
German Resistance
The German resistance was the opposition by individuals and groups in Germany to Adolf Hitler or the National Socialist regime between 1933 and 1945. Some of these engaged in active plans to remove Adolf Hitler from power and overthrow his regime...
, whom he married, returning to Germany in 1946. His second wife died from cancer in 1964. Today, he is married to an American and lives near Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. He has a daughter from his second marriage and a son from his third.
From 1947-1962, he worked at a Jewish welfare agency and a newspaper. He began painting under the name ben jakov, his Hebrew name
Hebrew name
Hebrew names are names that have a Hebrew language origin, classically from the Hebrew Bible. They are mostly used by people living in Jewish or Christian parts of the world, but some are also adapted to the Islamic world, particularly if a Hebrew name is mentioned in the Qur'an. When...
, in the 1950s. His first attempt to make paintings about the past was in 1954. His first show was in 1975 and numerous one-man shows in Germany and other countries followed. Paintings by "ben jakov" are untitled.
He became known through his lectures about his experiences in the concentration camps. For decades, he never spoke about his experiences, but had suffered nightmares and depression. On a trip to the United States in 1986, he happened to see a swastika
Swastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
and fell apart, suffering a nervous breakdown
Nervous breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
. Since the mid-1980s, he has been giving lectures to young people and adults in schools, universities and elsewhere as an eye witness to the horrors of Third Reich and the Nazi era. He also gives groups of school children tours of Dachau. He says that the lectures are a form of therapy for him, that he'd like to forget the past because it has given him nightmares and caused him depression, but feels a duty to those who did not survive to never forget.
Mannheimer is an honorary member of Gegen Vergessen – Für Demokratie ("Against Forgetting - For Democracy"), the chairman of which is Joachim Gauck
Joachim Gauck
Joachim Gauck is a German politician, journalist and theologian. After a brief political career during Die Wende in Eastern Germany, the co-founder of the New Forum was elected member of the People's Chamber for the Alliance 90 in 1990...
. Mannheimer is also chairman of "Lagergemeinschaft Dachau" and vice president of Comité International de Dachau
International concentration camp committees
International concentration camp committees are organizations composed of former inmates of the various Nazi concentration camps, formed at various times, primarily after the Second World War...
(International Dachau Committee).
Honors and awards
Mannheimer was awarded the Waldemar von Knoeringen Prize from the Georg von VollmarGeorg von Vollmar
Georg Heinrich von Vollmar was a democratic socialist politician from Bavaria.He was born in Munich, and educated in a school attached to a Benedictine monastery at Augsburg, and in 1865 entered the Bavarian army as a lieutenant in a cavalry regiment. He served in the campaign of 1866, and then...
Academy. The prize is awarded every two years to outstanding individuals who advance the cause labor and democratic socialism. Other awards and honors include:
- Knight of the French Legion of Honor (Chevalier de la Légion d'HonneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
) - Georg von Vollmar Medal
- Wilhelm HoegnerWilhelm HoegnerWilhelm Hoegner was the second Bavarian prime minister after World War II and father of the Bavarian constitution. He has been the only Social Democrat to hold this office....
Prize - Auschwitz CrossAuschwitz crossThe Auschwitz cross is a cross erected near the Auschwitz concentration camp. In 1979, the newly elected Polish Pope John Paul II said mass on the grounds of the Auschwitz II extermination camp to some 500,000 people. An 8.6 metre tall cross was erected there for the purpose, and removed after...
- Honorary citizen, City of Neutitschein
- Upper BavariaUpper BavariaUpper Bavaria is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany.- Geography :Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered around the city of Munich. It is subdivided into four regions : Ingolstadt, Munich, Bayerisches Oberland , and Südostoberbayern...
n Cultural Prize, 2005 - Federal Cross of Merit
- Bavarian Order of MeritBavarian Order of MeritThe Bavarian Order of Merit is the order of merit of the Free State of Bavaria. It is awarded by the Minister-President of Bavaria as a "recognition of outstanding contributions to the Free State of Bavaria and the Bavarian people"....
- Bavaraian Constitutional Medal, (silver)
- Honorary doctorate, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, 2000
- Bavaraian Constitutional Medal, (gold), 2009
External links
- Malen nach Auschwitz. Max Mannheimer bei der Ausstellungseröffnung 2009
- Weisse Rabe Documentary film (2009) about Max Mannheimer by Carolin Otto. Retrieved May 3, 2010
- Max Mannheimer - Zeitzeuge im Gespräch mit Dr. Sybille Krafft (PDF) Interview at the alpha Forum of television station Bayerischen Rundfunk (February 5, 2010)