George Brady
Encyclopedia
George Brady, O.Ont
(born February 9, 1928, Nové Město na Moravě
, Czechoslovakia
) is a Holocaust survivor of both Theresienstadt (Terezin) and Auschwitz (Oswiecim, Poland
), who became a Canadian businessman and was awarded the Order of Ontario
.
, George Brady lived an ordinary childhood in interwar Czechoslovakia until March 1939, when Nazi Germany
took control of Bohemia
and Moravia
. After that, his Jewish family encountered increasing restrictions and persecution by the German occupiers. By the year 1942, Brady's parents had been separated from their children and sent to prisons and concentration camps. They perished in Auschwitz before the end of the Second World War. George and Hana stayed with an aunt and uncle (the uncle was not Jewish, and thus the couple was a "privileged" mixed marriage and not subject to deportation) for a short time until they too were deported to Theresienstadt, a ghetto
-camp not far from Prague
, Czechoslovakia where he shared kinderheim L417 with around forty boys including Petr Ginz
and Yehuda Bacon
.
George and Hana remained in Theresienstadt until 1944, when they were sent in separate convoys—George to the work camp and Hana to Auschwitz, where she died. George survived Auschwitz because of his trade as a plumber. After learning that his family had perished, he resettled in Canada.
trade, which he learned in Theresienstadt. He established a plumbing company with another Holocaust survivor in early 1951 in Toronto
, where he now resides. He later married and became a father to three sons and a daughter, Lara Hana Brady.
. That same year, Larry Weinstein's movie Inside Hana's Suitcase premiered and won several festival awards.
Order of Ontario
The Order of Ontario is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to...
(born February 9, 1928, Nové Město na Moravě
Nové Mesto na Morave
Nové Město na Moravě is a town in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has 10,464 inhabitants.-Business in town:Despite its location surrounded by great outdoors, the town has a long tradition of manufacturing...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
) is a Holocaust survivor of both Theresienstadt (Terezin) and Auschwitz (Oswiecim, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
), who became a Canadian businessman and was awarded the Order of Ontario
Order of Ontario
The Order of Ontario is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to...
.
Early life and the Holocaust
The son of Marketa and Karel Brady, and brother of Hana BradyHana Brady
Hana Brady was a 13-year old Jewish girl murdered in the Holocaust. She is the subject of the 2002 non-fiction children's book Hana's Suitcase, written by Karen Levine.-Biography:Hana Brady was born in Nové Mesto, Czechoslovakia on May 16, 1931...
, George Brady lived an ordinary childhood in interwar Czechoslovakia until March 1939, when Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
took control of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
and Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
. After that, his Jewish family encountered increasing restrictions and persecution by the German occupiers. By the year 1942, Brady's parents had been separated from their children and sent to prisons and concentration camps. They perished in Auschwitz before the end of the Second World War. George and Hana stayed with an aunt and uncle (the uncle was not Jewish, and thus the couple was a "privileged" mixed marriage and not subject to deportation) for a short time until they too were deported to Theresienstadt, a ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
-camp not far from Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Czechoslovakia where he shared kinderheim L417 with around forty boys including Petr Ginz
Petr Ginz
Petr Ginz was a Czechoslovak boy of Jewish descent who was deported to the Terezín concentration camp during the Holocaust...
and Yehuda Bacon
Yehuda Bacon
Yehuda Bacon is an Israeli artist .- Life until 1945 :Yehuda Bacon was born as a son of a Hasidic family...
.
George and Hana remained in Theresienstadt until 1944, when they were sent in separate convoys—George to the work camp and Hana to Auschwitz, where she died. George survived Auschwitz because of his trade as a plumber. After learning that his family had perished, he resettled in Canada.
Life after the Holocaust
Brady has made a living from the plumbingPlumbing
Plumbing is the system of pipes and drains installed in a building for the distribution of potable drinking water and the removal of waterborne wastes, and the skilled trade of working with pipes, tubing and plumbing fixtures in such systems. A plumber is someone who installs or repairs piping...
trade, which he learned in Theresienstadt. He established a plumbing company with another Holocaust survivor in early 1951 in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, where he now resides. He later married and became a father to three sons and a daughter, Lara Hana Brady.
Order of Ontario
In 2009, he was made a member of the Order of OntarioOrder of Ontario
The Order of Ontario is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to...
. That same year, Larry Weinstein's movie Inside Hana's Suitcase premiered and won several festival awards.
Notations
- Karen Levine, Hana's Suitcase—A True Story. Albert Whiteman & Co., Morton Grove, IL., 2003