131:
395:
742:
124:
to disorder and catastrophe. Nevertheless, Holzer and other fire brigade members helped
Lederer smuggle weapons and a radio transmitter into the concentration camp. In the last days of the camp's existence in April and May 1945, it was feared that the Germans would attempt to murder the remaining inhabitants. Holzer and the fire brigade threatened resistance with hoses and other improvised weapons.
180:
152:
138:
194:
166:
234:. The Austrian government granted him a small pension in 1967 in recognition of his pre-war firefighting career; Holzer was allowed to receive the money in a blocked foreign account, which he used to fund his foreign travels. When he died in January 1989, the Czech government allowed his foreign friends to attend his funeral.
123:
in
December 1943, but escaped the following April in order to warn the population of Theresienstadt that deportees faced mass murder in gas chambers. However, the leadership of the Theresienstadt resistance (including Holzer) ultimately decided to suppress the report because they feared it would lead
114:
river and repair buildings after storms. They also put out fires set by drunken SS men. Using his influence in the camp, Holzer recruited members of the resistance into the fire brigade to prevent their deportation; he later estimated that half of firefighters were engaged in resistance activities.
229:
and worked as a factory manager. Unusually, Holzer was not subject to strict travel restrictions that the
Communist regime imposed on most of its citizens and frequently visited Western Europe. He had many friends from his firefighting activities, and worked on
216:
After liberation, Holzer returned to Prague and married Wilma; both were the only survivors of their families. About 40,000 Czechoslovak Jews had declared themselves ethnic
Germans on prewar censuses, of whom about 3,000 survived the
80:
in 1939, Holzer managed to hide his Jewish heritage for some time, despite the fact that he was religious, because his business partner did not betray him. After the business partner was decapitated by a wire laid by
207:
72:. He graduated with a degree in engineering, but continued to live in Austria, where he served on several volunteer fire brigades. In 1936, he moved to the town of
110:
and important functionary in the camp, Holzer was protected from deportation. Under his leadership, the fire brigade helped control the flooding on the nearby
130:
811:
712:
725:
786:
452:
222:
68:(now Austria), in 1902. In 1919, following the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Holzer elected to become a citizen of the new country of
707:
322:
612:
570:
801:
720:
692:
796:
92:
77:
41:
231:
49:
22:
791:
745:
633:
595:
590:
445:
806:
585:
69:
697:
87:
658:
600:
45:
319:"Leo Holzer, chief of the Theresienstadt fire brigade, poses next to a fire truck marked Terezin on the hood"
674:
438:
776:
394:
702:
461:
85:
operatives in 1940, Holzer went into hiding, but was eventually discovered and deported as part of the
771:
766:
523:
379:
250:
781:
103:
37:
116:
82:
666:
627:
511:
475:
65:
318:
384:"Die Flucht des Auschwitzer Häftlings VĂtÄ›zslav Lederer und der tschechische Widerstand"
383:
386:[The Escape of Auschwitz Prisoner VĂtÄ›zslav Lederer and the Czech Resistance].
119:
from deportation for almost two years in this way. Lederer was eventually deported to
760:
580:
517:
44:, which he used as a cover for resistance activities. After the war, he remained in
575:
545:
481:
99:
621:
225:; Holzer was one of the few allowed to remain. He chose not to emigrate after the
254:
226:
61:
26:
95:
in late 1941, becoming the head of the firefighting and air raid department.
540:
487:
218:
120:
409:
289:
36:(1902 – January 1989) was an Austrian-Czech firefighter and
344:
76:
and opened a firefighting business with a friend from
Austria. After the
73:
430:
98:
Theresienstadt was largely used as a transit camp for deporting Jews to
349:
21:
640:
20:
111:
434:
251:"Leo (Lev) Haas - Last Portrait: Painting for Posterity"
60:
Holzer was born into a Jewish family of Czech origin in
221:. These Jews were targeted for deportation during the
685:
650:
611:
563:
533:
504:
497:
468:
18:Austrian-Czech firefighter and Holocaust survivor
40:best known for leading the fire brigade inside
446:
8:
374:
372:
370:
368:
501:
453:
439:
431:
283:
281:
279:
277:
275:
273:
271:
713:Siegfried Lederer's escape from Auschwitz
292:[Leo Holzer and Theresienstadt].
223:expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia
408:Westerholz, Michael (24 January 2011).
323:United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
313:
311:
288:Westerholz, Michael (10 January 2011).
242:
388:Theresienstädter Studien und Dokumente
343:Westerholz, Michael (5 January 2011).
179:
347:[I had to start somewhere!].
7:
345:""Irgendwo musste ich ja anfangen!""
812:People from Oberpullendorf District
211:Czechoslovakia (1945–1989 borders)
151:
14:
412:[Search for Leo Holzer].
137:
93:Theresienstadt concentration camp
78:German invasion of Czechoslovakia
42:Theresienstadt concentration camp
741:
740:
708:Theresienstadt and the Red Cross
393:
192:
178:
164:
150:
136:
129:
787:Theresienstadt Ghetto survivors
290:"Leo Holzer und Theresienstadt"
193:
1:
634:I Never Saw Another Butterfly
165:
410:""Forscht nach Leo Holzer!""
25:Leo Holzer, photographed at
802:Austrian resistance members
232:Czech-German reconciliation
50:Czech-German reconciliation
48:and became an advocate for
828:
601:Theresienstadt family camp
736:
484:(July 1943–February 1944)
478:(November 1941–July 1943)
390:(in German) (4): 157–183.
106:, but as a member of the
797:Czech resistance members
490:(February 1944–May 1945)
46:communist Czechoslovakia
675:Transport from Paradise
227:1948 Communist takeover
30:
792:Austrian firefighters
703:Theresienstadt Papers
462:Theresienstadt Ghetto
24:
524:Benjamin Murmelstein
208:class=notpageimage|
498:Prisoner leadership
104:extermination camps
807:Czech firefighters
693:Białystok children
38:Holocaust survivor
31:
754:
753:
559:
558:
117:Siegfried Lederer
29:in September 1945
819:
744:
743:
502:
455:
448:
441:
432:
426:
425:
423:
421:
405:
399:
398:
397:
391:
376:
363:
362:
360:
358:
340:
334:
333:
331:
329:
315:
306:
305:
303:
301:
285:
266:
265:
263:
261:
247:
196:
195:
182:
181:
168:
167:
154:
153:
140:
139:
133:
83:Czech resistance
827:
826:
822:
821:
820:
818:
817:
816:
757:
756:
755:
750:
732:
681:
667:Distant Journey
646:
628:Ghetto Swingers
607:
555:
529:
512:Jakob Edelstein
493:
476:Siegfried Seidl
464:
459:
429:
419:
417:
407:
406:
402:
392:
380:Kárný, Miroslav
378:
377:
366:
356:
354:
342:
341:
337:
327:
325:
317:
316:
309:
299:
297:
287:
286:
269:
259:
257:
249:
248:
244:
240:
214:
213:
212:
210:
204:
203:
202:
201:
197:
189:
188:
187:
183:
175:
174:
173:
169:
161:
160:
159:
155:
147:
146:
145:
141:
66:Austria-Hungary
58:
19:
12:
11:
5:
825:
823:
815:
814:
809:
804:
799:
794:
789:
784:
779:
774:
769:
759:
758:
752:
751:
749:
748:
737:
734:
733:
731:
730:
729:
728:
723:
715:
710:
705:
700:
698:Small Fortress
695:
689:
687:
683:
682:
680:
679:
671:
663:
659:Theresienstadt
654:
652:
648:
647:
645:
644:
637:
630:
625:
617:
615:
609:
608:
606:
605:
604:
603:
593:
588:
583:
578:
573:
567:
565:
561:
560:
557:
556:
554:
553:
548:
543:
537:
535:
531:
530:
528:
527:
521:
515:
508:
506:
499:
495:
494:
492:
491:
485:
479:
472:
470:
466:
465:
460:
458:
457:
450:
443:
435:
428:
427:
400:
364:
335:
307:
267:
241:
239:
236:
206:
205:
199:
198:
191:
190:
186:Theresienstadt
185:
184:
177:
176:
171:
170:
163:
162:
157:
156:
149:
148:
143:
142:
135:
134:
128:
127:
126:
108:Aufbaukommando
88:Aufbaukommando
70:Czechoslovakia
57:
54:
17:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
824:
813:
810:
808:
805:
803:
800:
798:
795:
793:
790:
788:
785:
783:
780:
778:
777:Austrian Jews
775:
773:
770:
768:
765:
764:
762:
747:
739:
738:
735:
727:
724:
722:
719:
718:
716:
714:
711:
709:
706:
704:
701:
699:
696:
694:
691:
690:
688:
684:
677:
676:
672:
669:
668:
664:
661:
660:
656:
655:
653:
649:
643:
642:
638:
636:
635:
631:
629:
626:
624:
623:
619:
618:
616:
614:
610:
602:
599:
598:
597:
594:
592:
589:
587:
584:
582:
579:
577:
574:
572:
569:
568:
566:
562:
552:
549:
547:
544:
542:
539:
538:
536:
532:
525:
522:
519:
518:Paul Eppstein
516:
513:
510:
509:
507:
505:Jewish elders
503:
500:
496:
489:
486:
483:
480:
477:
474:
473:
471:
467:
463:
456:
451:
449:
444:
442:
437:
436:
433:
415:
411:
404:
401:
396:
389:
385:
381:
375:
373:
371:
369:
365:
352:
351:
346:
339:
336:
324:
320:
314:
312:
308:
295:
291:
284:
282:
280:
278:
276:
274:
272:
268:
256:
252:
246:
243:
237:
235:
233:
228:
224:
220:
209:
132:
125:
122:
118:
115:Holzer saved
113:
109:
105:
101:
96:
94:
90:
89:
84:
79:
75:
71:
67:
63:
55:
53:
51:
47:
43:
39:
35:
28:
23:
16:
673:
665:
657:
639:
632:
620:
550:
546:Fredy Hirsch
482:Anton Burger
420:17 September
418:. Retrieved
413:
403:
387:
357:17 September
355:. Retrieved
348:
338:
328:17 September
326:. Retrieved
300:17 September
298:. Retrieved
293:
260:17 September
258:. Retrieved
245:
215:
107:
100:Nazi ghettos
97:
86:
59:
33:
32:
15:
772:1989 deaths
767:1902 births
571:Baranavichy
564:Deportation
526:(1944–1945)
520:(1943–1944)
514:(1941–1943)
469:Commandants
416:(in German)
353:(in German)
296:(in German)
782:Czech Jews
761:Categories
551:Leo Holzer
255:Yad Vashem
238:References
158:Kobersdorf
62:Kobersdorf
34:Leo Holzer
721:Prisoners
622:Brundibár
596:Auschwitz
591:Treblinka
541:Leo Baeck
488:Karl Rahm
219:Holocaust
144:Auschwitz
121:Auschwitz
746:Category
586:Majdanek
382:(1997).
651:In film
613:Culture
414:haGalil
350:haGalil
294:haGalil
27:TerezĂn
717:Lists
686:Topics
678:(1962)
670:(1949)
662:(1944)
581:Izbica
534:Others
200:Prague
726:Works
641:Vedem
576:Minsk
172:KolĂn
74:KolĂn
422:2018
359:2018
330:2018
302:2018
262:2018
112:Elbe
102:and
56:Life
91:to
763::
367:^
321:.
310:^
270:^
253:.
64:,
52:.
454:e
447:t
440:v
424:.
361:.
332:.
304:.
264:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
