Otto Rosenberg (writer and activist)

Otto Rosenberg

Otto Rosenberg (28 April 1927–4 July 2001), was a Holocaust survivor, author of A Gypsy in Auschwitz (1999), activist, and founder of Sinti Union of Berlin and Organization for German Sinti and Roma.[1][2] He was detained in Berlin-Marzahn in 1939.[3] He was born in East Prussia and raised in Berlin.[4]

Writing

In 1995, Rosenberg recorded his memories on tape, and with writer Ulrich Enzenberger he published Das Brennglas in 1998.[5] Michael Grobbel notes the book's 'colloquial and at time laconic style', as a result of the book staying true to its oral origins, and explains how Rosenberg discusses the continued 'persistance of racial intolerance after 1945'.[5]

It was published as A Gypsy in Auschwitz in 1999, translated into English by Helmut Bölger. The book features an introduction from former Lord Mayor of Berlin Klaus Schütz.[3] His memoir has been compared to those of other survivors, Philomena Franz and Ceija Stojka.[6][7]

According to author of Representing the Holocaust in Children's Literature, Lydia Kokkola, it is 'one of the very few books about the Gypsy Holocaust for young readers'.[3] The book is recommended by Doris Bergen as further reading in her book War and Genocide: a Concise History of the Holocaust.[8]

Activism and legacy

Otto Rosenberg's grave at the Neuer St Michael Friedhof, Berlin

In 1970, Rosenberg founded the Berlin-Brandenburg State Association of German Sinti and Roma, and he remained chairman until his death.[9] Rosenberg frequently talked about his experiences in German schools.[4]

In 1998 he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit First Class of the Federal Republic of Germany, 'for his special services to understanding between the minority and the majority'.[10]

A street and a square in the former grounds of Berlin-Marzahn were named after him in 2007.[11]

Family

His daughter, Marianne Rosenberg, is a singer, composer and author.[10]

References

  1. ^ Contemporary Authors Online (Biography in Context). Gale. 2003. ISBN 9780787639952.
  2. ^ Pace, Eric (2001-07-11). "Otto Rosenberg, 74, Gypsy Who Survived Auschwitz". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  3. ^ a b c Kokkola, Lydia (2013-10-15). Representing the Holocaust in Children's Literature. Routledge. p. 76. ISBN 978-1-135-35404-6.
  4. ^ a b "Otto Rosenberg; Gypsy Survived Nazi Death Camps". Los Angeles Times. 2001-07-13. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  5. ^ a b Grobbel, Michaela (2003). "Contemporary Romany Autobiography as Performance". The German Quarterly. 76 (2): 140–154. doi:10.2307/3252171. hdl:10211.1/865. ISSN 0016-8831. JSTOR 3252171.
  6. ^ French, Lorely; Hertrampf, Marina Ortrud M. (2023-11-20). Approaches to a "new" World Literature: Romani Literature(s) as (re-)writing and self-empowerment. Akademische Verlagsgemeinschaft München AVM. pp. 147–148. ISBN 978-3-95477-157-8.
  7. ^ Stojka, Ceija (2022). The Memoirs of Ceija Stojka, Child Survivor of the Romani Holocaust. Boydell & Brewer. p. 2. ISBN 978-1-64014-121-6.
  8. ^ Bergen, Doris L. (2009-02-16). War and Genocide: A Concise History of the Holocaust. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 250. ISBN 978-0-7425-5716-1.
  9. ^ "Holocaust Memorial Day Trust | Otto Rosenberg". Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  10. ^ a b "Stigmatized as a "Gypsy" from an Early Age". Arolsen Archives. 2018-08-01. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  11. ^ "Otto Rosenberg". www.befreiung1945.de. Retrieved 2020-01-25.