Category Archives: Israel
The Remarkable Story of the Ovitz Family—The Dwarfs of Auschwitz
I did post about the Ovitz family before but because it is such a remarkable story, I thought it a good idea to do another one. Before I get into the main story, I have to explain that I mean no disrespect with the title— it was how the family gained recognition.
The Ovitz family was a Jewish Romanian family. The seven dwarf siblings had formed the Lilliput Troupe, known for singing and playing music using small instruments throughout Romania, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia in the 1930s and 1940s. The taller family members had backstage roles. The performers consisted of Rozika, Franziska, Avram, Freida, Micki, Elizabeth, and Perla. The Ovitzs lived a communal life in one big house in the village.
When any one of them got married, the spouse moved in and joined the enterprise.
At the start of World War II, there were twelve family members—seven of them were born with Pseudoachondroplasia, a form of dwarfism. Hungary seized Northern Transylvania in September 1940, and the new racial laws banned Jewish artists from entertaining non-Jews. Even though the Ovitz family were observant Jews, they obtained papers that omitted the fact that they were Jewish and continued going on their tours until 1944. On May 12, 1944, all twelve family members were arrested and deported to Auschwitz. One average-sized brother, Arie, escaped the roundup. Arie was married to Magda, and they had a little girl. He never met her because he was arrested and executed in 1944. Magda and her family were deported to Auschwitz and perished in the gas chambers.
Once the Ovitz family arrived in Auschwitz, they attracted the attention of Dr. Mengele. He housed them in better conditions within the camp, only to keep them healthier for his unethical research and experiments. Mengele wanted to decipher the secrets of human growth, especially as the family included two normal-sized sisters. Although Mengele was actually kind in his words when it came to the dwarfs—his actions in the name of science were horrific.
Throughout their time at Auschwitz, all of the members of the family (short and tall, blood-related, related by marriage, and fake-related) were subjected to almost daily blood tests, bone marrow sampling, blinding chemical tests, constant teeth and hair pulling, ear drip torture, and repeated showcases where they were told to strip in front of audiences and researchers during lectures and analysis.
“The most frightful experiments of all were the gynecological experiments.” Elizabeth Ovitz would later write, “They injected things into our uterus, extracted blood, dug into us, pierced us and removed samples… It is impossible to put into words the intolerable pain that we suffered, which continued for many days after the experiments ceased.”
Eighteen-month-old Shimshon Ovitz was put through the worst ordeals because he had taller parents and was prematurely born; Mengele drew blood from the veins behind his ears and his fingers daily often, causing weakness. The Ovitzes also witnessed two newcomer dwarfs killed and boiled so their bones could placed on exhibit in a museum. Mengele filmed them but after the war, the film was never found. It is possible that he kept it when he fled. Amid the other invasive procedures, Mengele poured boiling water into their ears, followed by ice water. He put chemicals in their eyes that blinded them. There were no moral boundaries restricting Mengele’s irrelevant experimentation. They thought the pain would drive them mad.
Despite all the torture and abuse, the family survived and was liberated from Auschwitz on January 27, 1945.
In March 2013, the Actor Warwick Davis presented an episode of the ITV series Perspectives, Warwick Davis—The Seven Dwarfs of Auschwitz.
In the documentary, reference was made to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which was Adolf Hitler’s favorite movie. Though Snow White may have been a fairy tale written by the Brothers Grimm—the story of the Ovitz Seven Dwarfs was far from a fairy tale. It was more of a grim tale of horror.
Later, Perla Ovitz, the last surviving member of the family (she died in 2001), acknowledged the horrifying details of their imprisonment—but still maintained a tiny shred of gratitude toward their captor.
“If the judges had asked me if he should be hanged, I’d have told them to let him go,” she recalled. “I was saved by the grace of the devil; God will give Mengele his due.”
The Ovitz family traveled on foot for seven months to their home village. Upon arrival, they found their home had been looted. They moved, first to the town of Sighet and later to Belgium. In May 1949, they immigrated to Israel, settled in Haifa, and began their tours again, being quite successful and packing large concert halls. In 1955, they retired and bought a cinema hall.
Descendants of the men of the family were born taller; the women did not become pregnant due to their small pelvises. The firstborn, Rozika Ovitz, died in 1984 at the age of 98.
I am surprised that no one has turned their story into a movie.
Sources
https://allthatsinteresting.com/ovitz-dwarfs-auschwitz
https://historyofyesterday.com/the-7-dwarfs-from-auschwitz/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/23/the-dwarves-of-auschwitz
https://www.kpbs.org/news/arts-culture/2021/08/27/warwick-davis-and-seven-dwarfs-auschwitz
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/16872009/arie-ovitz#source
Donation
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Israel
I know that in the current political environment there is a popular believe among some, that the name Israel did not exist until 1948. Ironically some of these same people will be celebrating the birth of a Jewish man, born in Nazareth a city in Israel more then 2000 years ago.
I can appreciate that many will not accept that as evidence. So the best way to proof the existence of the name Israel is by pointing out a law created by the biggest enemies of the Jews, the Nazis, a law which cam to power on January 1,1939.
Paragraph 2 of the Law on Alteration of Family and Personal Names
“If a Jew bears a name differing from those which according to § 1 can be given to Jews, as of January 1, 1939, he must adopt an additional first name, namely Israel in the case of a male and Sara in the case of a female.”
The government required Jews to identify themselves in ways that would permanently separate them from the rest of the German population. In the new August 1938 law, authorities decreed that by January 1, 1939, Jewish men and women bearing first names of “non-Jewish” origin had to add “Israel” and “Sara,” respectively, to their given names. All German Jews were obliged to carry identity cards that indicated their heritage, and, in the autumn of 1938, all Jewish passports were stamped with an identifying red letter “J”. As Nazi leaders quickened their war preparations, antisemitic legislation in Germany and Austria paved the way for more radical persecution of Jews.
sources
Those Who Have Courage Take Responsibility—They Don’t Blame
Mosab Hassan Yousef is a Palestinian who worked undercover for Israel’s internal security service, Shin Bet, from 1997 to 2007. e was born in Ramallah, a city 10 kilometres north of Jerusalem. His father, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, is a Hamas co-founder.
The title is taken from a speech he gave a few weeks ago at the UN. I have included it below. I will let you make up your own mind, but it is hard to dismiss a man who was in the middle of Hamas.
Hamas officials are often invited by Sinn Fein to conferences.
My Interview with Rosa DeVries
In my interview with Rosa DeVries, Rosa is an Israeli Jewish woman, originally from Amsterdam and a daughter of Holocaust survivors. She lives in Rishon LeZion (Hebrew: רִאשׁוֹן לְצִיּוֹן a city in Israel, located along the central Israeli coastal plain eight kilometres (5 mi) south of Tel Aviv, and about 55 km away from Gaza.
We conversed about her experiences in Israel as a citizen in the current situation and about her son, a member of the IDF.
Irish Killed or Abducted by Palestinian-Backed Terrorists
This post highlights the hypocrisy of Irish left-wing political parties, particularly Sinn Fein and People Before Profit.
They demanded the Israeli ambassador to Ireland be expelled. However, this wasn’t mandated for the Palestinian ambassador, nor did they condemn the terror attack by Hamas on 7 October 2023, where Irish citizens were murdered and abducted. Nor did they condemn Hezbollah for killing an Irish soldier on peacekeeping duties.
The photograph above is of the coffin of Private Seán Rooney, an Irish soldier killed while on a peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. He was in an armoured vehicle that came under fire while travelling to Beirut on 14 December. It later emerged that the attack was carried out by Palestinian-backed Hezbollah. The shooting resulted in the death of Private Seán Rooney (age 24) of Newtowncunningham in Co Donegal and seriously wounded Private Shane Kearney (age 22).
Irish-Israeli woman Kim Damti (age 22) was confirmed dead after an attack by Hamas at a music festival in southern Israel. She was attending a music festival near the Gaza border when Hamas terrorists arrived at the site. An innocent young lady enjoying music was murdered on 7 October 2023.
An eight-year-old Irish girl, Emily Hand, on 7 October 2023, was presumed dead but was abducted by Hamas. However, no proof of life has been provided yet.
I sincerely hope the Irish people consider their choices carefully during upcoming elections. It is also important to note that People Before Profit did not condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine outright, nor did they ask for the Russian ambassador to be expelled.
Day 39
On behalf of and with permission from Rosa DeVries, one of the many citizens in Israel who want peace. A daily impression of life after the October 7 attack by Hamas. Titled: Day 39, the text is in Dutch.
Dag 39
Elke avond neem ik de tijd om dit blog te schrijven. Ik vind het fijn om dit te doen omdat ik allereerst zo contact kan maken met de buitenwereld, het gedoe in Israël van mij af kan schrijven en iedereen ander nieuws kan geven dan de media jullie voorschotelt. Nog geen half uur geleden hadden we weer een raketaanval. Na twee dagen rust, waarbij je dan bijna denkt: “ooh, het lijkt wel of ik het heb gedroomd.” Nou nee hoor! Niet gedroomd, de bittere, ware waarheid. Ik was aan de telefoon met iemand die ík ongelofelijk waardeer. Zij wordt steeds meer een vriendin. Zij en haar man dragen Israël in hun hart echt heel liefdevol. En opeens was daar alarm en sprong ik van mijn bed, bovenop mijn bril 😳en moesten we naar beneden rennen. Telefoon nog aan, Saartje onder mijn arm en Meir achter mij aan.
De eerste paar minuten ben ik net een espenblad. Ik kan het trillen dan niet onder controle krijgen. Mijn hart klopt zo hard dat ik bang ben dat het uit mijn borst spat. Beetje overdreven Roos. Maar dat is om duidelijk te maken hoe je een directe reactie ontwikkelt bij een dergelijk alarm. De raketten die dan vallen geven een doffe klap. Hard, maar minder angstaanjagend dan het alarm. Ik had nog steeds die lieve schat aan de telefoon en ik dacht: nou dan stel ik haar maar even voor aan Meir. Dat was wel weer grappig. Na 10 minuten, het bibberen is dan wel weer over, kunnen we de miklat uit, terug naar boven. Ik blijf dan op mijn hoede. Dat gevoel denk ik dat ik niet snel weer kwijt ben.
Vlak na het alarm sprak ik Noah. Voor hem is het nog veel zwaarder. Steeds moeten wegduiken voor raketten, 24 uur op je qui vive zijn, ga er maar aanstaan. Gelukkig mag hij vrijdag naar huis. Ik weet al wat hij wil eten. Na zware tijden weer lekker in een schoon bed, verwend worden door zijn moeder. Hij heeft het zo verdiend.
Mama, het komt goed! Ja No!
My Interview with Tal Hartuv—Survivor of the 2010 Hamas Attack
This is my interview with Tal Hartuv. She is an artist and also works as a guide and educator with Yad Vashem. She was brutally attacked by two Hamas terrorists disguised as Israeli police in 2010 while on a hike in the hills of Jerusalem with her Christian-American friend, Kristine Luken.
Ms Hartuv and her friend were then attacked by the two men with machetes. Ms Luken was butchered to death, while Ms Hartuv saw her friend being murdered, while she played dead.
In April 2017, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia released a statement that Luken’s killers, Ayad Fatafta and Kifah Ghanimat, were each to face federal charges of murdering a U.S. national outside of the U.S. if they are to be released at any point from Israeli prison.
Ms Hartuv is a symbol of hope for all of us despite the horrors and the hate she experienced, she is still driven by kindness.
My Interview with Liz Elsby—Holocaust Educator at Yad Vashem: World Holocaust Center, Jerusalem
During my interview with Liz Elsby, Holocaust Educator at Yad Vashem: World Holocaust Center, Jerusalem, we discussed freelance illustration, design and art direction. We also talked a bit about her work with Yad Vashem, but mainly about the current situation in Israel and her experience.
My Interview with Madene Shachar—Museum Educator at The Ghetto Fighters Museum
Yesterday I had the privilege to interview Madene Shachar, Museum Educator at The Ghetto Fighters Museum.
The Ghetto Fighters’ House – Itzhak Katzenelson Holocaust and Jewish Resistance Heritage Museum– known as the “House” – is not only the first Holocaust museum in the world but also the first of its kind to be founded by Holocaust survivors. The museum was established in 1949 to educate people about the Holocaust during World War II, emphasizing the bravery, spiritual triumph and incredible ability of Holocaust survivors and the fighters of the revolt to rebuild their lives in a new country about which they had dreamed—the State of Israel.
We spoke about the museum as well as the current situation in Israel.
History of Sorts 
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