Suffolk woman celebrates heroic actions of Jewish man on 80th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation
Today world leaders, royalty and dignitaries are meeting in Poland to remember more than 1 million people who were murdered by the Nazis.
Last updated 28th Jan 2025
A woman from Suffolk is celebrating the heroic actions of a Jewish Man in Auschwitz by telling his story in her new book 'The Teacher of Auschwitz, Zafffre Books.'
Today the world is marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation Auschwitz, with world leaders royalty and dignitaries are meeting in Poland to remember more than 1 million people who were murdered by the Nazis.
Wendy Holden from Halesworth is commemorating the memory of Fredy Hirsch, a Jewish man who risked his life to improve the living conditions of children in Auschwitz.
"This man had bought her this enormous amount of happiness in the one of the worst places on Earth"
Wendy first heard about Fredy in 2017 when she was interviewing a holocaust survivor and musical prodigy at the time of war named Zuzana Ruzickova.
Wendy says throughout out the whole interview with Zuzana, the only time she ever got tearful was when she spoke about Fredy, the man who had been "a guardian angel" to her and other children in the camp.
Wendy said: "He was a youth leader, who set up children's homes, both in the ghetto that she (Zuzana) was in terrorism and then later in Auschwitz to Birkenau."
"Her face lit up with joy as the tears rolled. She suddenly had so much hope and happiness and joy in her life, and I was astonished by that because I realised that this man, whoever he was, had bought her this enormous amount of happiness in the one of the worst places on Earth."
Fredy, having previously looked after children, took up that role in the concentration camp and ensured they maintained their hygiene, were able to play, and continued studying.
Wendy says there were several moments in Fredy's story that stood out to her which she wanted to share, including setting up a children's block in the heart of Auschwitz.
He saw the children were restless and running around in the cold during roll call and causing disruption for the SS.
Fredy then convinced the officers to allow him to use an empty barrack, under the promise that he would manage the children and prevent them causing problems.
Once Fredy gained access to this barrack, he was able to recruit other prisioners who were artists to paint on the walls.
"One girl painted a Snow White and the seven dwarves on the walls of this place, literally in the middle of Auschwitz. You can't imagine it."
"There was this little piece of heaven in Auschwitz"
Wendy explained that even the officers were influenced by Fredy's actions, most notably Doctor Josef Mengele, known as the Angel of Death.
"These are people who were sending hundreds of thousands of people to the gas chambers every single month, and yet they came and played with these children and were reminded of their own lives before the war."
Wendy went on to say that despite the harrowing conditions they faced in the camp, this was where Fredy "found his humanity. And that's how he managed to get through that."
Fredy would create games for the children, who were unaware of their importance.
"When he wanted them to sit still, he played a game of freeze with them. When he wanted them to not feel so hungry, he taught them meditation.
"He had them lie down and close their eyes and imagine that the bellies were full and that they were warm and that they weren't afraid. And it worked.
"This lovely lady Zuzana, she told me that it physically worked. It mentally helped them. It physically helped them. "He was their moral compass. He was their spiritual guide."
"Some people will immediately step up and refuse to be a bystander to evil and Fredy was definitely one of those people"
Wendy says that in her research she learnt how Fredy had earned respect from officers in order to keep others safe.
"He looked so smart, and he stood up straight, and he stared them in the eye, and if necessary, he saluted them, he clicked his heels together in a militaristic fashion because he knew that this was the kind of thing they respected.
"It was because of that that they allowed him to have all these privileges for the children.
"It's this kindness of strangers and the resilience of the human spirit and how some people will immediately step up and refuse to be a bystander to evil and Freddy was definitely one of those people who was just going to stand by and let it happen.
"He was going to make the most of it for other people. He was very positive and courageous because he was risking his own life."
We asked Wendy if she had taken any lessons from Fredy's story.
"Try not to give in to your fear. He had fears he had desperate dark moments. There were times when he nearly gave up.
"But he always found a positive in a negative, he sought it out. They're not always visible. They're not always immediately apparent...What can we do in our own lives to make things better?"
"The memory of what people went through, the memory of what people endured, the memory of what people survived is a really important thing for us to carry through. We are not out of the woods and our world is very troubled at the moment."