Amid all the horror stories of the Holocaust, every so often, a positive one emerges.
I was sidetracked during my research on the Dutch entertainer Rudi Carrell’s life during World War II when the name of Abraham Bueno de Mesquita came up. Better known as Bueno de Mesquita, he and Rudi Carrell worked together in Germany during the 1960s and 70s.
Most Dutch people of my age or older would recognize Bueno de Mesquita as a comedian and entertainer. He appeared in many variety shows with other Dutch artists such as Rita Corita, the comedic duo The Mounties, and, as mentioned earlier, Rudi Carrell.
What many people might not know is that Bueno de Mesquita’s talents likely saved his life.
During World War II, Bueno de Mesquita, a Dutch Sephardic Jew, was imprisoned at the Dossin Barracks in Mechelen, Belgium—also known as SS-Sammellager Mechelen, a detention and deportation camp. He was scheduled for deportation to Auschwitz, but fate intervened. The camp commander was looking for musicians and performers. Bueno de Mesquita was selected for his ability to play even a one-string cello. When combined with his comedic talents, this saved him from deportation—and, likely, his life.
Bueno de Mesquita went on to become a successful entertainer and was one of the first television stars in the Netherlands. His first TV appearance was in 1952.
In some of his sketches, he portrayed a waiter who strongly resembled the character Manuel (played by Andrew Sachs) from Fawlty Towers. Interestingly, Bueno de Mesquita and Andrew Sachs bore a strong physical resemblance to each other.
Abraham Bueno de Mesquita was born on July 23, 1918, in Amsterdam. He passed away during the night of August 18-19, 2005, at the age of 87, in his hometown of Lelystad, after a long illness with lung cancer and a brain tumor.
Bueno de Mesquita wrote his autobiography, Cello met één snaar: Mijn levensverhaal (Cello With One String: My Life Story) published in 1994.
Sources
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0119215/
https://web.archive.org/web/20051105190240/http://www.volkskrant.nl/kunst/1124427851084.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Bueno_de_Mesquita
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