The Baum Group was an anti-Nazi resistance group in

Berlin, Germany Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constituent ...

. The Group's members were mostly Communist, Jewish, and young with many being teenagers or young adults. The group printed and distributed anti-Nazi literature and organized activities. Its members were executed for setting fire to ''Das Sowjetparadies'' (The Soviet Paradise), an anti-Soviet exhibit in Berlin's Lustgarten.

Founding

Herbert and Marianne Baum before they married

The Baum Group was founded by Herbert Baum in 1936, 1937 or 1938 depending on the source. Herbert Baum was active in the Communist Youth Federation (KJVD), but was pushed out of mainstream Communist organizations including the Communist Party of Germany because he was Jewish. Through his connections, Baum organized a group of like-minded individuals to undertake anti-Nazi activities. Most members of Baum's group were Jewish and young. The average age of the members was 22. Baum's wife, Marianne, was a central figure in the group. By 1938, the group had 100 members. Herbert and

Marianne Baum Marianne Baum (February 9, 1912 – August 18, 1942) was a German communist and anti-Nazi. She was executed after an attack on a propaganda show in Berlin. Life and death Marianne Baum was born in Saarburg in 1912 into a Jewish family. She had on ...

were ordered into forced labor at the Jewish department of the Siemens electric motors factory where they continued to recruit members.

Activities

The Baum Group printed and distributed anti-Nazi literature and planned resistance activities and initiatives. Because Jews had limited access to typewriters at the time, non-Jewish members secretly typed materials while at work. Stenciled leaflets and other materials were made in Herbert and Marianne Baum's basement. On May 18, 1942, the Baum Group and another anti-Nazi group set fire to ''Das Sowjetparadies'' (The Soviet Paradise), an anti-Soviet exhibit in Berlin's Lustgarten. Group members were caught by the Nazis. Herbert Baum was tortured to death in Moabit Prison, dying on June 11, 1942. The Gestapo reported his death as a suicide. His wife, Marianne, was executed in

Plötzensee Prison Plötzensee Prison (german: Justizvollzugsanstalt Plötzensee, JVA Plötzensee) is a juvenile prison in the Charlottenburg-Nord locality of Berlin with a capacity for 577 prisoners, operated by the State of Berlin judicial administration. The d ...

on August 18, 1942. Other members were executed at Berlin-Plötzensee in 1943. After the arson attack, the Nazis also detained and executed 500 Berlin Jews. Most were executed quickly and others were murdered a short time later in prisons and concentration camps. A memorial to the Baum Group stands in Weissensee, Berlin.

Members

* Hans Adler * Herbert Baum (1912–1942) *

(1912–1942) * Kurt Bernhard * Heinz Birnbaum (1920–1943) * Herbert Budzislawsky * Hella Hirsch (1921–1943) * Alfred Eisenstadter * Edith Fraenkel * Charlotte Holzer (1909–1980) * Felix Heymann * Hardel Heymann * Alice Hirsch * Hilda Jadamowitz (1916–1942) * Hans Joachim *

Marianne Joachim Marianne Joachim (born Marianna/Marianne Prager: 5 November 1921 - 4 March 1943) was a Jewish German resistance activist during the Nazi years. She was executed at Plötzensee on 4 March 1943 following an arson attack the previous summer on th ...

(1922–1943) * Martin Kochmann (1912–1943) *

Sala Kochmann Sala Rosenbaum Kochman (June 7, 1912- August 18, 1942) was a Jews, Jewish resistance fighter during World War II. She was an early member of the Baum Group, a collaborative anti-Nazi resistance organization. Kochman was executed by the Nazis in 194 ...

(1912–1942) *

Hildegard Löwy Hildegard Löwy (b.1922 - 4 March 1943) was a Jewish German office worker who became involved in anti-Nazi resistance. She was guillotined at Plötzensee Prison. Life Hildegard Löwy was born in Berlin. She grew up with her parents and her youn ...

(1922–1943) * Gerd Meyer *

Hanni Meyer Hanni Lindenberger Meyer (February 14, 1921 to March 4 1943) was a Jewish resistance fighter during World War II. She was a member of the Baum Group, a collaborative anti-Nazi resistance organization. Meyer was executed by the Nazis in 1943 f ...

(1921–1943) * Herbert Meyer * Helmut Neumann (1922–1943) * Suzanne Wesse (1914–1942) * Heinz Rotholz (1922–1943) * Siegbert Rotholz (1922–1943). * Lothar Salinger (1920–1943) * Werner Steinbrink * Irene Walter

References

{{reflist The Holocaust Organisations based in Berlin 1930s establishments in Germany