Walter Süskind (29 October 1906 – 28 February 1945) was a German Jew who helped about 600
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
children escape 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 ...
. He was a member of the ( or ) during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Biography
Süskind was born in
Lüdenscheid
Lüdenscheid () is a city in the Märkischer Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Sauerland region.
Geography
Lüdenscheid is located on the saddle of the watershed between the Lenne and Volme rivers which b ...
in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
as the first child of Hermann Süskind and Frieda Kessler.
He had two younger brothers, Karl Süskind (1908) and Alfred Süskind (1911).
Süskind initially worked as a manager of a
margarine
Margarine (, also , ) is a spread used for flavoring, baking, and cooking. It is most often used as a substitute for butter. Although originally made from animal fats, most margarine consumed today is made from vegetable oil. The spread was orig ...
factory in Germany. In March 1938, he fled to the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
with the intention to emigrate to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, because of the persecution of
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
by the
Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
. From 1942 until his deportation to
Westerbork
Camp Westerbork ( nl, Kamp Westerbork, german: Durchgangslager Westerbork, Drents: ''Börker Kamp; Kamp Westerbörk'' ), also known as Westerbork transit camp, was a Nazi transit camp in the province of Drenthe in the Northeastern Netherlands, ...
, he lived at
Nieuwe Prinsengracht
The Nieuwe Prinsengracht is a canal in the Plantage neighborhood of Amsterdam, an extension of the Prinsengracht in the eastern Grachtengordel (canal belt).
Location
The Nieuwe Prinsengracht runs between the Amstel and the Plantage Muidergracht. ...
51 in the center of
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
with his wife Johanna Natt (1 November 1906 – 1944) and their daughter Yvonne Süskind.
During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
he became involved in helping children escape 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 ...
via the nursery on the Plantage Middenlaan in Amsterdam.
Süskind worked for the
Dutch Jewish council. He was the manager of the
Hollandsche Schouwburg (''Dutch Theater''), where the Jews of Amsterdam had to report themselves prior to their deportation to the Westerbork transit camp. In that position he could manipulate the personal data of children in particular. His close relationship with the German authorities helped him in his activities to help children escape. He especially tried to get close with the
SS officer
Ferdinand aus der Fünten
Ferdinand Hugo aus der Fünten (17 December 1909 – 19 April 1989), widely known as Fünten, was an '' SS-Hauptsturmführer'' and head of the Central Office for Jewish Emigration in Amsterdam during the Second World War. He was responsible for ...
, who was then the second man of the
Central Office for Jewish Emigration
Central Office for Jewish Emigration (german: link=no, Zentralstelle für jüdische Auswanderung) was a designation of Nazi institutions in Vienna, Prague and Amsterdam. Their head office, the Reich Central Office for Jewish Emigration ('), was ba ...
in Amsterdam.
Opposite of the Hollandsche Schouwburg on the Plantage Middenlaan, there was a nursery. The Nazis put the young children there instead of in the theater. The Jewish director of the nursery,
Henriette Henriques Pimentel, together with Süskind and economist Felix Halverstad (who also worked at the Hollandsche Schouwburg), set up a system to rescue children via the nursery.
Children were secretly brought to the Hervormde Kweekschool (''Reformed Teacher Training College''), two houses from the theater. They got there through the garden. They received help from the head of the school,
Johan van Hulst
Johan Willem van Hulst (28 January 1911 – 22 March 2018) was a Dutch school director, university professor, author, politician, chess player and centenarian. In 1943, with the help of the Dutch resistance and students of the nearby University ...
.
[Joods Historisch Museum]
Walter Süskind
/ref> From there, the children went into a backpack, shopping bag or laundry basket to be transported to Limburg
Limburg or Limbourg may refer to:
Regions
* Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium
* Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands
* Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...
and Friesland
Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...
by train and tram, often with help from the Utrechts Kindercomité (''Utrecht Children's Committee'') of Piet Meerburg and the NV, a secret organization that managed to organize many addresses in Limburg. Süskind and Felix Halverstad ensured that these children were not registered and removed their names from the records of the theater.
Thanks to this plan, about 600 children were saved.
In 1944, Süskind, his wife and his daughter were sent to the Westerbork transit camp
Camp Westerbork ( nl, Kamp Westerbork, german: Durchgangslager Westerbork, Drents: ''Börker Kamp; Kamp Westerbörk'' ), also known as Westerbork transit camp, was a Nazi transit camp in the province of Drenthe in the Northeastern Netherlands, d ...
. Due to his good relations with the SS leadership of the Dutch Theater, he could return to Amsterdam, but he eventually went back to his family in Westerbork. He also wanted to let people escape from the transit camp, but failed. His wife and daughter later died at the camp they were sent to, and he himself died on 28 February 1945 at an unknown location in central Europe
Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...
during the death marches
A death march is a forced march of prisoners of war or other captives or deportees in which individuals are left to die along the way. It is distinguished in this way from simple prisoner transport via foot march. Article 19 of the Geneva Conven ...
.
Movie
On 19 January 2012, the Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
movie '' Süskind'' was released. This movie is based on the life of Walter Süskind.
Book
A book titled "Süskind" written by Dutch author described Walter Süskinds life when working for the Hollandsche Schouwburg.
A book titled he Heart Has Reasons: Dutch Rescuers of Jewish Children during the Holocaustwritten by the U.S. author Mark Klempner
Mark Klempner (July 11, 1956 – March 3, 2019) was a folklorist, oral historian and social commentator.
Early life
Klempner grew up in New York City, and attended Cornell University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1997, and winning a J. William F ...
tells Suskind's story within the chapter about Pieter Meerburg.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suskind, Walter
1906 births
1945 deaths
Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the Netherlands
People from Lüdenscheid
German Jews who died in the Holocaust
Jewish Council of Amsterdam