In commemoration of LGBTQ+ History month pupils learnt about Fredy Hirsch in a chapel address. A new novel by Wendy Holden called ‘The Teacher of Auschwitz’ honours this young man’s life which was cut short by the Nazis after being sent to Auschwitz.
Fredy was a gay Jewish athlete, who found himself persecuted during the rise of Hitler in the 1930’s. Being an athlete, he was admired by the SS, despite being a Jew, and he became known for setting up a school area in Auschwitz which protected children from the worst atrocities taking place there. After the war, he was branded by the Communist party as a homosexual and a collaborator, and his story remained largely unknown. Those who were protected by Fredy and benefited from his bravery in the camps, kept his name alive, and we can now read about his heroic actions in this new novel. The book begins; “My name is Fredy Hirsch. I am 28 years old. I am a teacher, I am a dreamer, I have loved and laughed, cried and almost died a thousand times. My name is Fredy Hirsch. Please, be so kind as to remember my name.”
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