Helmut Kleinicke was a German engineer who supervised construction projects at Auschwitz—but unlike many in his position, he quietly and courageously saved Jewish lives from the gas chambers.
Born in 1907, Helmut grew up immersed in nature in the forests of Lower Saxony, where his parents worked as forest rangers. He later studied civil engineering and, like many at the time, joined the Nazi Party in 1933. In 1941, shortly after getting married, he was assigned to join the team overseeing construction at Auschwitz concentration camp. He relocated to Chrzanów, Poland, to work on the project.
There, Helmut was tasked with selecting young, able-bodied Jews to work on the construction site. Unlike many others in his role, he treated these workers with dignity and protected them from SS harassment. One survivor later recalled, “Those of us who worked for Kleinicke were like VIPs. We had a certificate that we worked for him, and that was our insurance policy.”
When Helmut learned of impending plans to round up local Jews, he acted. He tracked down those on the arrest lists to warn them in advance, arranged their transport to safer areas, and even hid others in his attic and basement. Though he never kept records, it’s estimated he saved hundreds.
By late 1943, the SS became suspicious as Jews connected to Helmut began to vanish. He was removed from his position and drafted into an artillery unit, sent to fight on the front lines. Following Germany’s surrender in 1945, Helmut was arrested by the British due to his Nazi Party membership. While imprisoned, numerous Jews he had saved submitted sworn statements on his behalf, testifying that he had rescued them “without regard to his person.” These testimonies led to his exoneration in 1949.
After the war, Helmut remained silent about his actions. To his daughter, Juta Scheffzek, he mentioned only that he had saved some Jews—adding quietly that he wished he’d saved more. He never considered himself a hero.
In 1979, the American miniseries Holocaust aired on German television. Deeply affected, Helmut suffered a stroke just three days later. He never recovered and died a few months afterward.
For decades, his story remained unknown—until a 2015 documentary brought it to light. In it, Auschwitz survivor Josef Konigsberg recounted how Helmut had saved his life by pulling him from a line of Jews being deported.
That testimony, supported by further evidence, led Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Memorial, to honor Helmut Kleinicke posthumously as Righteous Among the Nations.
In 2018, Yad Vashem honored him as Righteous Among the Nations, one of the few Nazi Party members to receive this recognition. The ceremony took place in Berlin in January 2020, attended by survivors like Josef Königsberg, whom Kleinicke had saved.
The award ceremony took place at the Israeli Embassy in Berlin. Juta Scheffzek attended, along with Josef Konigsberg, who described how Helmut had saved him after his mother pleaded for his life. “He grabbed me and said I was his best worker,” Josef recalled. His mother and sister, however, were deported and perished in the gas chambers. Addressing Juta through tears, he said, “This is one of the most beautiful days of my life. Thank you, thank you.”
Juta was deeply moved. “It confirmed what my father told me in just a few words,” she said. “I never knew if he was telling the truth.” She later told The Times of Israel, “It was a long and emotional journey to uncover the truth about my father. I hope people in America, the UK, and Israel hear his story.”
Israeli Ambassador to Germany Jeremy Issacharoff, who hosted the ceremony, reflected: “In Germany, you can never escape the historical weight of the Holocaust—it’s a heavy burden for both Germans and Jews. But it’s essential to remember that there were a few people who chose to do the right thing. That, to me, is the main message of this ceremony.”
sources
https://www.accidentaltalmudist.org/heroes/2024/03/26/the-righteous-nazi-helmut-kleinicke/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmut_Kleinicke
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