Salamo Arouch
Encyclopedia
Salamo Arouch was a Jewish Greek boxer
who survived the Holocaust by entertaining Nazi officers in Auschwitz with his boxing skills. His story was portrayed in the 1989 film Triumph of the Spirit
.
, Greece
, one of two sons in a family that also included three daughters. His father was a stevedore
who nurtured his son's interest in boxing, teaching him when he was a child. Arouch said that when he was 14, he fought and won his first boxing match. He told People
that, though only 5'6", he became the light-middleweight
champion of the Balkans in 1941 when he was 17.
In 1943, his family was interred in the concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau. In Auschwitz, where Arouch was tagged prisoner 136954, he said the commander sought boxers among the newly interned and, once assured of Arouch's abilities, set him to twice- or thrice-weekly boxing matches against other prisoners. According to Arouch, he was undefeated at Auschwitz, though two matches he was forced to fight while recovering from dysentery
ended in draws. Lodged with the other fighters forced to participate in these matches and paid in extra food or lighter work, Salarmo fought 208 matches at his estimation, knowing that prisoners who lost would be sent to the gas chamber
or shot. Fights generally lasted until one fighter went down or the Nazis got sick of watching. Arouch claimed he weighed about 135 pounds and often fought much larger men. He said he once dispatched a 250-pound opponent in 18 seconds.
Though Arouch survived the war, being released from Auschwitz on January 17, 1945, his parents and siblings did not. During a search for family at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
in April, 1945, he met Marta Yechiel, a 17-year-old survivor from his own hometown. With Yechiel, he emigrated to Israel
, settling in Tel Aviv
to manage a shipping firm. Arouch and Yechiel wed in November 1945 and raised a family of four. Arouch was a consultant on the 1989 dramatic reenactment of his early life, accompanying filmmakers several times on an emotional return to the concentration camp. The film takes some artistic liberties with the biographical details of his life, including the renaming of his wife and placing her in his story prior to internment.
After the movie came out, another Jewish boxer from Salonika, Jacques "Jacko" Razon sued Arouch and the filmmakers for more than $20 million claiming that they had stolen his story and that Arouch had exaggerated his exploits. The case was later settled.
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
who survived the Holocaust by entertaining Nazi officers in Auschwitz with his boxing skills. His story was portrayed in the 1989 film Triumph of the Spirit
Triumph of the Spirit
Triumph of the Spirit is a 1989 American film directed by Robert M. Young and starring Willem Dafoe and Edward James Olmos. The majority of the film is set in the death camp at Auschwitz during the Holocaust and details how the Jewish boxer Salamo Arouch was forces to fight other internees to the...
.
Biography
Arouch was born in 1923, in ThessalonikiThessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, one of two sons in a family that also included three daughters. His father was a stevedore
Stevedore
Stevedore, dockworker, docker, dock labourer, wharfie and longshoreman can have various waterfront-related meanings concerning loading and unloading ships, according to place and country....
who nurtured his son's interest in boxing, teaching him when he was a child. Arouch said that when he was 14, he fought and won his first boxing match. He told People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
that, though only 5'6", he became the light-middleweight
Middleweight
Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1897...
champion of the Balkans in 1941 when he was 17.
In 1943, his family was interred in the concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau. In Auschwitz, where Arouch was tagged prisoner 136954, he said the commander sought boxers among the newly interned and, once assured of Arouch's abilities, set him to twice- or thrice-weekly boxing matches against other prisoners. According to Arouch, he was undefeated at Auschwitz, though two matches he was forced to fight while recovering from dysentery
Dysentery
Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...
ended in draws. Lodged with the other fighters forced to participate in these matches and paid in extra food or lighter work, Salarmo fought 208 matches at his estimation, knowing that prisoners who lost would be sent to the gas chamber
Gas chamber
A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. The most commonly used poisonous agent is hydrogen cyanide; carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide have also been used...
or shot. Fights generally lasted until one fighter went down or the Nazis got sick of watching. Arouch claimed he weighed about 135 pounds and often fought much larger men. He said he once dispatched a 250-pound opponent in 18 seconds.
Though Arouch survived the war, being released from Auschwitz on January 17, 1945, his parents and siblings did not. During a search for family at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
Bergen-Belsen was a Nazi concentration camp in Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle...
in April, 1945, he met Marta Yechiel, a 17-year-old survivor from his own hometown. With Yechiel, he emigrated to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, settling in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
to manage a shipping firm. Arouch and Yechiel wed in November 1945 and raised a family of four. Arouch was a consultant on the 1989 dramatic reenactment of his early life, accompanying filmmakers several times on an emotional return to the concentration camp. The film takes some artistic liberties with the biographical details of his life, including the renaming of his wife and placing her in his story prior to internment.
After the movie came out, another Jewish boxer from Salonika, Jacques "Jacko" Razon sued Arouch and the filmmakers for more than $20 million claiming that they had stolen his story and that Arouch had exaggerated his exploits. The case was later settled.
External links
- Salamo Arouch-Daily Telegraph obituary