Objects

Letter from Fritz Goldschmidt

Relations between followers of different religions in Leszno have not always gone well. There have been numerous disputes in the past, stemming from the prevailing economic relations in the town. Religious and ideological issues became particularly important in the first half of the 20th century. After the outbreak of World War II, the occupation authorities, together with the Leszno Germans – Evangelicals and Catholics – made sure that the town was "cleansed" of the Jewish population and their properties were seized. Only exceptionally brave people were able to resist the ideological and political domination of the Nazis. One of them was Martin Rutz, the last pastor of the Evangelical Parish of the Holy Cross in Leszno (see A. Wilecki, Rutz Martin [in:] Słownik biograficzny Leszna, vol. II, Leszno 2011, pp. 198–199).

In 1954, Rutz attempted to make contact with Rabbi Leo Baeck by sending a letter to the London office of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. His efforts are confirmed by the response he received from Frederik Goldschmidt.

The writing to Superintendent Rutz is in the shape of a vertical rectangle. All print on the document is in English, the text is in German. The name of the institution was placed in the heading: "Council for the Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Jews of Germany." On the left are the names of the board members and on the right are the address details. Below is the date: "18 October 1954". Goldschmidt thanks for the letter dated 14 October and confirms its forwarding to Dr Baeck. At the same time, he informs that a commemorative publication dedicated to Rabbi Baeck's activities has been sent by post.

Fritz Goldschmidt was born on 13 November 1893 in Wrocław. He attended junior high school in Chorzów. Fritz studied literature, history and philosophy at the University of Wrocław and law at the University of Berlin. He worked as a judge in Berlin. In 1939, he emigrated to England, where he worked for many years for the rights of German Jewish Holocaust survivors. He died on 28 June 1968 in London ("Information issued by the Association of Jewish Refugees in Great Britain" 1968, Vol. XXIII, no. 8, p. 6).

The letter was the property of Pastor Martin Rutz until his death in 1970. In 1994, it was handed over to the collection of the Judaic Department of the District Museum in Leszno by the superintendent's daughter, Renate Sternel from Hamburg.

Dariusz Czwojdrak

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Information about the object
Author / creator
Goldschmidt, Fritz (1893-1968)
Object type
correspondence
Time of creation / dating
3rd quarter of the 20th century
Place of creation
London (United Kingdom)
Technique
typescript
Material
paper
Keywords
Copyrights status
contact the Museum
Owner
Local Museum in Leszno
Identification number
MLI/IP/29