Bedřich Fritta

Bedřich Fritta ( born September 19, 1906 in Bohemian Weigsdorf; † November 5, 1944 in Auschwitz- Birkenau ) was a Czech- Jewish artist and cartoonist.

Life

Bedřich Fritta was born in 1906 in Bohemia Weigsdorf. Before the war Fritta worked under the name Fritz Taussig as a draftsman, commercial artist and cartoonist in Prague. In the 1930s he devoted himself to political caricature and provided input for the satirical magazine, published in Prague Simplicus.

Ghetto Theresienstadt

In early December 1941, he was deported with the transport "J" to the ghetto Theresienstadt. The men of this transport were part of the build commands ( construction battalion ). He was entrusted by the Nazi commandant in the ghetto with the management of the hall mark of technical firm. He managed to gather even up to 25 artists in this firm. They had there make plans and propaganda material. The artists should contribute on behalf of the Nazis for " beautification " of the camp. Here should the world community, especially the International Red Cross, to be deceived about the true fate of the Jews imprisoned there. But together they created countless illegal works on the inhuman everyday camp life in Theresienstadt.

Affair of the painters of Theresienstadt

It succeeded the painters who were active in the drafting room to make some drawings smuggle abroad. These graphics disagreed extremely the outer image that had tried to build the Nazi leadership about the Theresienstadt ghetto ..

On the evening of July 16, 1944 the deputy " Jewish elder " told Otto Zucker painters Bloch, Fritta, Haas and Ungar in warning that they had to report the next morning in the SS headquarters. It stood for the four no doubt that their drawings were the reason for the summons. They acted immediately and hid many of their drawings. Bedřich Fritta buried his works, including the picture book for Tommy third birthday in Theresienstadt 01/22/1944 for the third birthday of his son Tomas in the courtyard. The other three inmates a walled their drawings.

On July 17, 1944 Bedřich Fritta was arrested along with the other three because of the proliferation of " atrocity propaganda " being interrogated by the SS officers and of Adolf Eichmann and transferred to the Gestapo prison Small Fortress. His wife and three year old son Tomáš were also imprisoned in the Small Fortress, where his wife died later. Tomáš survived and was adopted in 1945 by Leo Haas and his wife Erna.

Auschwitz -Birkenau

After three months in the cells of the Small Fortress Bedřich Fritta was deported together with Leo Haas concentration camp Auschwitz -Birkenau, where he died soon after his arrival on 8 November 1944.

Some artists of the group of painters to Bedřich Fritta in the ghetto

• Leo Haas
• Ferdinand Bloch
• Otto Ungar
• Charlotte Buresovä
• Dinah Gottliebova
• Karel Fleischmann