Jump to content

Esther Béjarano

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Moondragon21 (talk | contribs) at 03:03, 11 July 2021 (→‎Biography). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Béjarano in 2018

Esther Béjarano (née Löwy; 15 December 1924 – 10 July 2021) was one of the last survivors of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Along with Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, she played in the Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz.

Biography

Béjarano was born Esther Löwy, a daughter of the head cantor of a Jewish municipality, in Saarlouis.[1] Her father encouraged his daughter to get interested in music and Esther learned to play the piano. At the age of 15 she had to leave her parents' home in order to make an attempt to emigrate to Palestine; the attempt was unsuccessful. She served two years of hard labour at a camp in Landwerk Neuendorf [de], near Fürstenwalde/Spree.[citation needed]

On 20 April 1943, everyone in the camp was deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp. There she had to drag stones until she joined the Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz, where she played the accordion. The orchestra had the task of playing for the daily march of the gangs by the camp gate. After the war, she emigrated to Palestine on 15 September 1945 and in 1960 returned to Germany with her husband and two children.[2]

At the beginning of the 1980s, with her daughter Edna and son Joram, she created the musical group Coincidence. They sang songs from the ghetto and in Hebrew as well as anti-fascist songs.[citation needed]

Béjarano lived in Hamburg. She was a co-founder and chairman of the International Auschwitz Committee and honorary chairperson of the Union of Persecutees of the Nazi Regime.[citation needed]

Béjarano died on 10 July 2021 aged 96 in Hamburg.[3][4][5] She was one of the last surviving orchestra members.[6]

Awards and honours

Béjarano was awarded the Carl von Ossietzky medal and held the Cross of Merit, First class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. She was honored with ethecon's 2013 "Blue Planet Award" [7] for her "relentless activity for peace and against anti-Semitism, racism and fascism".[8]

Film

  • "Esther che suonava la fisarmonica nell’orchestra di Auschwitz", Regia di Elena Valsania, Felìz – Edizioni SEB27, DVD allegato al volume: Esther Béjarano, "La ragazza con la fisarmonica. Dall’orchestra di Auschwitz alla musica Rap", A cura di Antonella Romeo, Prefazione di Bruno Maida, Edizioni SEB27, 2013; ISBN 978-88-86618-94-6

References

  1. ^ Nieuwhof, Adri (6 December 2018). "Why Auschwitz survivor Esther Bejarano supports BDS". The Electronic Intifada. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Auschwitz: Holocaust-Überlebende berichten - Esther Bejarano". Spiegel. 22 December 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Trauer um Holocaust-Überlebende : Esther Bejarano ist tot". Tagesschau (in German). 10 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Große Trauer nach dem Tod von Esther Bejarano". ndr.de (in German). 10 July 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  5. ^ Hofmann, Sarah Judith (10 July 2021). "Holocaust survivor, singer Esther Bejarano dies, aged 96". dw.com. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Esther Bejarano: Auschwitz orchestra member dies". BBC News. 10 July 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  7. ^ ""Blue Planet Award" für Esther Bejarano". RedGlobe. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  8. ^ "Justification for the Blue Planet Award 2013". ethecon foundation. Retrieved 17 October 2013.

Sources

  • Esther Béjarano and Birgit Gärtner, Wir leben trotzdem: Esther Béjarano – vom Mädchenorchester in Auschwitz zur Künstlerin für den Frieden ("We live, nevertheless: Esther Béjarano – from Girl Orchestra in Auschwitz to artist for peace"), Pahl-Rugenstein, Bonn (2005); 3rd edition, corrected and expanded (2007)ISBN 3-89144-353-6 (in German)
  • Damit nie wieder geschehe, was damals geschah" in "Perlensau – Ausgewählte Gedichte ("So that that which once happened never happens again" from "Pig of Pearls – Selected Poems") by Leander Sukov; ISBN 978-3-940274-06-9 (in German)
  • Esther Béjarano, "La ragazza con la fisarmonica. Dall’orchestra di Auschwitz alla musica Rap", A cura di Antonella Romeo, Prefazione di Bruno Maida, Allegato DVD "Esther che suonava la fisarmonica nell’orchestra di Auschwitz", Regia di Elena Valsania, Edizioni SEB27, 2013; (ISBN 978-88-86618-94-6)
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Esther Béjarano.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Esther_Béjarano&oldid=1033018801"