Inge Deutschkron (23 August 1922 – 9 March 2022) was a German and Israeli journalist and author. She experienced the

Nazi regime Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

as a girl and young woman, living in Berlin first working in a factory, then hiding with her mother. After World War II, she travelled the world, and became a journalist. In 1968, she was hired as a correspondent by the Israeli newspaper ''

Maariv ''Maariv'' or ''Maʿariv'' (, ), also known as ''Arvit'' (, ), is a Jewish prayer service held in the evening or night. It consists primarily of the evening ''Shema'' and '' Amidah''. The service will often begin with two verses from Psalms, ...

''. After reporting from the

Frankfurt Auschwitz trials The Frankfurt Auschwitz trials, known in German as ''der Auschwitz-Prozess'', or ''der zweite Auschwitz-Prozess,'' (the "second Auschwitz trial") was a series of trials running from 20 December 1963 to 19 August 1965, charging 22 defendants unde ...

in 1963, she became an Israeli citizen and moved to Tel Aviv in 1972. She worked as a journalist until 1988, dedicated to international and Middle East politics. She lived as a freelance writer in Tel Aviv and Berlin, where she was active keeping alive the memory of

the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

, especially the silent heroes who helped Jews during the time. Her 1978 autobiography ''I Wore the Yellow Star'' was adapted to a stage version by the

Grips-Theater The Grips-Theatre in Berlin (official name: GRIPS Theater) is a well-known and well-respected emancipatory children's and youth theatre, located at Altonaer Straße at Hansaplatz in the Hansaviertel in Berlin's Mitte district. It is “the first t ...

in Berlin.

Life

Deutschkron was born in

Finsterwalde Finsterwalde (, dsb, Grabin) is a town in the Elbe-Elster district (German: Landkreis), in Lower Lusatia, Brandenburg, Germany. Overview It is situated on the Schackebach, a tributary of the Kleine Elster, 28 m. W.S.W of Cottbus by rail. Pop. ( ...

, the daughter of Ella and Martin Deutschkron. Her father was a Jewish secondary school teacher, who moved the family to Berlin in 1927, but by 1933 was fired by the Nazi regime. He was able to take refuge in Great Britain in 1939, leaving his wife and daughter in Berlin. Between 1941 and 1943, Deutschkron worked for

Otto Weidt Otto Weidt (2 May 1883 - 22 December 1947) was the owner of a workshop in Berlin for the blind and deaf. During the Holocaust, he fought to protect his Jewish workers against deportation and he has been recognised for his work as one of the Righte ...

in his brush workshop for mainly deaf and blind workers (a large proportion of whom were Jewish), and it was with his help that Deutschkron managed to evade deportation. From January 1943, she lived illegally in Berlin, hiding with her mother in order to survive. After World War II, Deutschkron and her mother moved to London in 1946 joining her father, where she studied foreign languages and became a secretary to the

Socialist International The Socialist International (SI) is a political international or worldwide organisation of political parties which seek to establish democratic socialism. It consists mostly of socialist and labour-oriented political parties and organisations. ...

organisation. From 1954 she traveled to India, Burma, Nepal and Indonesia before eventually returning in 1955 to Germany, where she worked in Bonn as a freelance journalist. In 1958, the Israeli newspaper ''

'' hired her as a correspondent, and she acted as an observer for ''Maariv'' at the

in 1963. She became an Israeli citizen in 1966. Moving to Tel Aviv in 1972, Deutschkron was editor of ''Maariv'' until 1988, dedicated to international and Middle East politics. She returned to Berlin in December 1988 for the stage adaptation of her 1978 autobiography ''I Wore the Yellow Star'' at the

, where it was titled ''Ab heute heißt du Sara''. From 1992, Deutschkron lived as a freelance writer in Tel Aviv and Berlin, but made Berlin her permanent home in 2001. Deutschkron strived to ensure that people who rescued Jews from the Nazi regime were acknowledged, overseeing the work of the Museum of Otto Weidt and the Silent Heroes Museum in Berlin. She wrote a number of books for children and adults on her life and the life of Weidt. She also worked in schools as an eyewitness of the Holocaust. Her last residence was a senior citizen's home in Berlin. Deutschkron died on 9 March 2022, at the age of 99.

Awards

In 1994, Deutschkron was awarded the and . She repeatedly rejected the German

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

because many former Nazis also received it, but in 2002 received the , awarded in "recognition and appreciation of outstanding contributions to the city of Berlin". In 2008, Deutschkron was awarded the for contemporary history and politics, acknowledging her "life's work is the sign of the continuing commitment to democracy and human rights and against all forms of racism." She was also awarded the in 2008, given annually in memory of

Louise Schroeder Louise Dorothea Schroeder (2 April 1887 in Altona, Hamburg, Altona (Elbe) – 4 June 1957 in Berlin) was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) party. She was among the 41 female members of the Weimar National Assemb ...

to those who make "particularly outstanding contributions to democracy, peace, social justice and equality". In 2018, Deutschkron became an honorary citizen of Berlin.

Publications

Deutschkron wrote a number of books in German: * ''Ich trug den gelben Stern'' (''I Wore the Yellow Star''). Cologne 1978, * ''Israel und die Deutschen: Das schwierige Verhältnis'' (''Israel and the Germans: The Difficult Relationship''). Cologne 1983. * ''... denn ihrer war die Hölle: Kinder in Gettos und Lagern'' (''Children in the Ghettos and Camps''). Cologne 1985, * ''Milch ohne Honig: Leben in Israel'' (''Milk Without Honey: Life in Israel''). Cologne 1988, * ''Ich trug den gelben Stern''. Munich 1992 * ''Mein Leben nach dem Überleben'' (''My Life After Survival''). Cologne 1992, * ''Sie blieben im Schatten: Ein Denkmal für "stille Helden"'' (''They Stayed in the Shadows: A Monument to Silent Heroes''). Berlin 1996, * ''Mein Leben nach dem Überleben''. Munich 2000 * ''Emigranto: Vom Überleben in fremden Sprachen''. Berlin 2001, * ''Papa Weidt: Er bot den Nazis die Stirn'' (''Papa Weidt: He Defied the Nazis''). Kevelaer 2001, (with ) * ''Offene Antworten: Meine Begegnungen mit einer neuen Generation'', Berlin 2004, * ''Wir entkamen. Berliner Juden im Untergrund''. Gedenkstätte Deutscher Widerstand, Beiträge zum Widerstand 1933–1945, Berlin (2007) * ''Auschwitz war nur ein Wort. Berichte über den Frankfurter Auschwitz-Prozess 1963–1965'', Metropol-Verlag Berlin 2018,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deutschkron, Inge 1922 births 2022 deaths 20th-century German Jews 20th-century German women writers 21st-century German women writers German emigrants to Israel German journalists German women journalists Holocaust survivors Israeli journalists Israeli people of German-Jewish descent Israeli women journalists Recipients of the Order of Merit of Berlin Writers from Berlin