Hermann Maas: Difference between revisions
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'''Hermann Maas''' ([[5 August]], [[1877]] &ndash |
'''Hermann Maas''' ([[5 August]], [[1877]] – [[27 September]] [[1970]]) was a [[Protestantism|Protestant]] [[Minister (Christianity)|minister]], a doctor of [[theology]] and named one of the ''[[Righteous Among the Nations]]'',<ref>[[Yad Vashem]]: ''[http://yad-vashem.org.il/righteous/bycountry/germany/maas_hermann%20.html "Hermann Maas"]''</ref> a title given by the [[Israel]]i organization for study and remembrance of the [[Holocaust]] - [[Yad Vashem]], for people who helped save the lives of [[Jew]]s during the Holocaust without seeking to gain thereby. |
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== Life == |
== Life == |
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He was born in Gegenbach/[[Schwarzwald]], [[Germany]]. |
He was born in Gegenbach/[[Schwarzwald]], [[Germany]]. |
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In 1903, he started working as a Protestant |
In 1903, he started working as a Protestant minister. At the same time he began to make the acquaintance of Zionist Jews, and formed friendly relations with many of them, having attended the Sixth [[Zionist Congress]] in [[Basel]] that year. Since 1918, he was an active member of the pro-democratic [[Social Liberalism|left liberal]] [[German Democratic Party|DDP]]. |
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Maas, who had decidedly [[Liberalism|liberal]] and [[Pacifism|pacifist]] views, caused a scandal in 1925 by attending the funeral of [[Social democracy|social democratic]] [[Reichspräsident]] [[Friedrich Ebert]]. Conservative German pastors considered this to be an affront to the church because Ebert had been an outspoken [[Atheism|atheist]]. |
Maas, who had decidedly [[Liberalism|liberal]] and [[Pacifism|pacifist]] views, caused a scandal in 1925 by attending the funeral of [[Social democracy|social democratic]] [[Reichspräsident]] [[Friedrich Ebert]]. Conservative German pastors considered this to be an affront to the church because Ebert had been an outspoken [[Atheism|atheist]]. |
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In 1932, Maas joined an association for protection against [[antisemitism]]. |
In 1932, Maas joined an association for protection against [[antisemitism]]. |
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In mid 1943, he was forced out of office for his activism by the Nazi regime. In 1944, he was sent to a [[Labor camp|forced-labor camp]] in [[France]], from which he was later released by the [[United States Army|US forces]]. |
In mid 1943, he was forced out of office for his activism by the Nazi regime. In 1944, he was sent to a [[Labor camp|forced-labor camp]] in [[France]], from which he was later released by the [[United States Army|US forces]]. |
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In 1950, Maas was the first non-Jewish German to be officially invited to the newly formed state of |
In 1950, Maas was the first non-Jewish German to be officially invited to the newly formed state of Israel. |
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On [[July 28]], [[1964]], Yad Vashem decided to recognize the Reverend Hermann Maas as one of the ''Righteous Among the Nations''. |
On [[July 28]], [[1964]], Yad Vashem decided to recognize the Reverend Hermann Maas as one of the ''Righteous Among the Nations''. |
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[[Category:1970 deaths]] |
[[Category:1970 deaths]] |
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[[Category:German priests]] |
[[Category:German priests]] |
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[[Category:German |
[[Category:German Protestants]] |
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[[Category:German pacifists]] |
[[Category:German pacifists]] |
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[[Category:Protestant theologians]] |
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[[Category:People from Baden-Württemberg]] |
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[[Category:Righteous Among the Nations]] |
[[Category:Righteous Among the Nations]] |
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[[Category:German Resistance]] |
[[Category:German Resistance]] |
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Revision as of 18:23, 21 December 2007
Hermann Maas (5 August, 1877 – 27 September 1970) was a Protestant minister, a doctor of theology and named one of the Righteous Among the Nations,[1] a title given by the Israeli organization for study and remembrance of the Holocaust - Yad Vashem, for people who helped save the lives of Jews during the Holocaust without seeking to gain thereby.
Life
He was born in Gegenbach/Schwarzwald, Germany.
In 1903, he started working as a Protestant minister. At the same time he began to make the acquaintance of Zionist Jews, and formed friendly relations with many of them, having attended the Sixth Zionist Congress in Basel that year. Since 1918, he was an active member of the pro-democratic left liberal DDP. Maas, who had decidedly liberal and pacifist views, caused a scandal in 1925 by attending the funeral of social democratic Reichspräsident Friedrich Ebert. Conservative German pastors considered this to be an affront to the church because Ebert had been an outspoken atheist. In 1932, Maas joined an association for protection against antisemitism. In 1933, when the Nazi regime introduced the economic boycott of the Jews of Germany, Maas first went to Palestine to meet with some of the Zionist activists, impressing them by speaking fluent Hebrew. Upon his return to Heidelberg he faced harsh criticism as a "Jew-lover". After Hitler's Machtergreifung, he joined the Confessing Church and the Pfarrernotbund along with other notable Protestant theologians such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Niemöller. In the early 1940s, Maas helped many Jews flee from Germany by using his connections to help them obtain exit visas. In mid 1943, he was forced out of office for his activism by the Nazi regime. In 1944, he was sent to a forced-labor camp in France, from which he was later released by the US forces.
In 1950, Maas was the first non-Jewish German to be officially invited to the newly formed state of Israel. On July 28, 1964, Yad Vashem decided to recognize the Reverend Hermann Maas as one of the Righteous Among the Nations.
He died on 27 September 1970 in Heidelberg.