Lale Sokolov

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Lali Sokolov
Born
Ludwig Eisenberg

(1916-10-28)28 October 1916
Korompa, Kingdom of Hungary
Died31 October 2006(2006-10-31) (aged 90)
Other names"Lali"

Ludwig ("Lali" or "Lale") Sokolov (né Eisenberg; 28 October 1916 – 31 October 2006), was an Austro-Hungarian-born Slovak-Australian businessman and a Holocaust survivor.[1] Because Nazis had taken over, he was targeted for being Jewish, and he was sent to Auschwitz in 1942, where he served as one of concentration camp's Tätowierer (tattoo artist) until the camp was liberated near the end of World War II. He did not speak publicly about his wartime experiences until after the death of his wife in 2003 due to fears of being prosecuted as a Nazi collaborator.[2][3] A fictionalised account of his life appears in the novel The Tattooist of Auschwitz.[4][5]

Biography[]

See also: The Tattooist of Auschwitz

Lale Sokolov was born Ludwig Eisenberg on 28 October 1916 in Korompa, Kingdom of Hungary (now Krompachy,[2] Slovakia).[3] In April 1942, he was part of the transport of Jewish prisoners to Auschwitz.[2] Upon arrival, he was tattooed with the number 32407.[2] He was set to work constructing housing blocks for the expanding camp but soon became ill with typhoid.[3] Having recovered, he was assigned as one of the camp's tätowierer (tattooist).[3] As such, he joined the Politische Abteilung and had an SS officer assigned to monitor him.[3] His job meant he was "a step further away from death than the other prisoners", and he received a number of benefits such as a single room, extra rations, and free time when his work had been completed.[3]

While in the camp, Sokolov met his future wife Gisela "Gita" Fuhrmannova. He was also involved in trading contraband (including jewellery) that was given to him by fellow prisoners, with locals in return for food and provisions.[3]

Two days before the liberation of Auschwitz by Soviet troops (on 27 January 1945), Sokolov was moved to the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp.[2] He escaped that concentration camp, and returned to his native place, then part of Czechoslovakia.[2][3] Knowing only Gita Fuhrmannova's name, he went to Bratislava, the main entry point for returning survivors, to search for her.[3] The couple married later in 1945, and he changed his surname from Eisenberg to the more Russian-sounding Sokolov.[3] He then opened a factory in Bratislava.[2][3] During this time, he was involved in collecting money in support of the creation of the State of Israel.[3] This activity and the nationalisation of industry by Czechoslovakia's then communist government, resulted in him being imprisoned and having his business seized.[3] He was subsequently released and the couple emigrated to Australia in 1948.[2]

In Australia, Sokolov and his wife settled in Melbourne and opened up a clothing factory.[2] Their only child, Gary, was born in 1961.[3] Though his wife visited Europe a number of times, Sokolov never returned.[3] Following Gita's death in 2003, he finally felt able to speak about his war-time experience having feared that he would be perceived as a collaborator.[2][3]

He was interviewed by journalist Heather Morris over the next three years, who wrote "The Tattooist of Auschwitz", a fictionalised book about his life, published in 2018.[3] He died in 2006, and is survived by his son.[3]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Kenneally, Christine. "'The Tattooist of Auschwitz' and the History in Historical Fiction". The New York Times.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j Morris, Heather (10 January 2007). "Obituary: Lale Sokolov". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Prasad, Ritu (8 January 2018). "The Tattooist of Auschwitz - and his secret love". BBC News. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  4. ^ Witek-Malicka, Wanda (2018). "Fact-checking "The Tattooist of Auschwitz" - Memoria [EN] No. 14 (11/2018)". view.joomag.com. Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  5. ^ Hirsh, Anna; Láníček, Jan; Mitschke, Samantha; Shields, Kirril (2020). "The Tattooist of Auschwitz and the Trivialisation of the Holocaust: A Roundtable Discussion" (PDF). Australian Journal of Jewish Studies. 32.

Further reading[]

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