Otto Weidt
Encyclopedia
Otto Weidt was the owner of a workshop in Berlin
for blind and deaf. During the Holocaust, he fought to protect his Jewish workers against deportation and he has been recognised for his work as one of the Righteous Men of the World's Nations
. The Museum of Otto Weidt's Workshop for the Blind remains on the original site of the factory and is dedicated to his life.
, the Weidt family moved to Berlin. Like his father, Otto became a paperhanger. As a young man he got involved in anarchist
and pacifist
circles of the German working-class movement and avoided his draft for World War I due to an ear infection.
In 1936 Weidt established his workshop, which in 1940 moved to the backyard of 39 Rosenthaler Straße in Berlin-Mitte
to manufacture brooms and brushes. As one of his customers was the Wehrmacht
, Weidt managed to have his business classified as vital to the war effort. About 30 blind and deaf Jews were employed at his shop between the years of 1941 and 1943. When the Gestapo
began to arrest and deport his Jewish employees, he fought to secure their safety by falsifying documents and bribing the officers. Though Weidt, forewarned, kept his shop closed on the day of the Fabrikaktion
in February 1943, many of his employees were deported. Among those he was able to save were Inge Deutschkron
, Hans Israelowicz and Alice Licht.
After the war, Weidt established an orphanage for survivors of the concentration camps.
On September 7, 1971, Yad Vashem
recognized Weidt posthumously as a Righteous Man of the World's Nations
.
In 1993, Inge Deutschkron affixed a plaque honoring Weidt at the site of the workshop and in 1994, an Ehrengrab
in the Zehlendorf
cemetery was established. A museum at the site of the workshop opened in 1999, since 2005 under the covering of the Memorial to the German Resistance
foundation.
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
for blind and deaf. During the Holocaust, he fought to protect his Jewish workers against deportation and he has been recognised for his work as one of the Righteous Men of the World's Nations
Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous among the Nations of the world's nations"), also translated as Righteous Gentiles is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews from extermination by the Nazis....
. The Museum of Otto Weidt's Workshop for the Blind remains on the original site of the factory and is dedicated to his life.
Life
Soon after his birth in RostockRostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
, the Weidt family moved to Berlin. Like his father, Otto became a paperhanger. As a young man he got involved in anarchist
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
and pacifist
Pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
circles of the German working-class movement and avoided his draft for World War I due to an ear infection.
In 1936 Weidt established his workshop, which in 1940 moved to the backyard of 39 Rosenthaler Straße in Berlin-Mitte
Mitte (locality)
Mitte is a central locality of Berlin in the homonymous district of Mitte. Until 2001 it was itself an autonomous district....
to manufacture brooms and brushes. As one of his customers was the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
, Weidt managed to have his business classified as vital to the war effort. About 30 blind and deaf Jews were employed at his shop between the years of 1941 and 1943. When the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
began to arrest and deport his Jewish employees, he fought to secure their safety by falsifying documents and bribing the officers. Though Weidt, forewarned, kept his shop closed on the day of the Fabrikaktion
Fabrikaktion
The Fabrikaktion is the term for the roundup of the last Jews to be deported starting 27 February 1943. Most of these remaining Jews were working Berlin plants or they were working for the Jewish welfare organisation...
in February 1943, many of his employees were deported. Among those he was able to save were Inge Deutschkron
Inge Deutschkron
Inge Deutschkron is a German-Israeli journalist and author.-Life:Inge Deutschkron was the daughter of a Jewish secondary school teacher who moved the family to Berlin in 1927. But by 1933 her father was fired from his job and fled to Great Britain in 1939 - leaving Inge and her mother in Berlin...
, Hans Israelowicz and Alice Licht.
After the war, Weidt established an orphanage for survivors of the concentration camps.
On September 7, 1971, Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
recognized Weidt posthumously as a Righteous Man of the World's Nations
Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous among the Nations of the world's nations"), also translated as Righteous Gentiles is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews from extermination by the Nazis....
.
In 1993, Inge Deutschkron affixed a plaque honoring Weidt at the site of the workshop and in 1994, an Ehrengrab
Ehrengrab
An Ehrengrab is a distinction granted by certain German, Swiss and Austrian cities to one of their citizens for extraordinary services or achievements in their lifetime. If there are no descendants or institutions to care for the gravesite, the communities or cities will take responsibility for...
in the Zehlendorf
Zehlendorf
Zehlendorf can refer to:*Zehlendorf, a district in Berlin, Germany*Zehlendorf near Oranienburg, a small village north of Berlin, part of Oranienburg....
cemetery was established. A museum at the site of the workshop opened in 1999, since 2005 under the covering of the Memorial to the German Resistance
Memorial to the German Resistance
The Memorial to the German Resistance , is a memorial and museum in Berlin, capital of Germany. It was opened in 1980 in part of the Bendlerblock, a complex of offices in Stauffenbergstrasse , south of the Tiergarten in Western Berlin...
foundation.