Harry Haft
Encyclopedia
Harry Haft was a professional boxer and survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp
.
. Two years later he was deported to Auschwitz because he was Jewish. Because of his strong physical stature an SS overseer trained him to be a boxer, and had him compete at fights to the death in front of the military personnel. The fights took place at the concentration camp Jaworzno
, which was situated at a coal mine north of Auschwitz
. Haft fought 76 fights at this concentration camp. When the camp in Jaworzno was dissolved because of the advancing Soviet Red Army
, the inmates were sent on death marches. In 1945 Haft managed to escape. On the run he found refuge on a farm. Out of fear of being betrayed, he murdered the two elderly people who harbored him
In 1949 he emigrated with the help of an uncle into the United States. There he made his living by competing as a prizefighter, this time in showfights controlled by the Mafia
, against opponents such as Rocky Marciano
. As a professional boxer he competed in 22 fights, of which he won 14.
His eldest son Alan Scott was born in 1950. Harry Haft confided to him the story of his life, which was published in 2006 in the USA with the help of historians John Radzilowski and Mike Silver. On the basis of this biography Reinhard Kleist created a graphic novel, which is being published sequentially since April 2011 in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
.
In April 2007 he was included in the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
.
Life
In 1939, when he was 14 years old, he witnessed the occupation of Poland by the German WehrmachtWehrmacht
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:...
. Two years later he was deported to Auschwitz because he was Jewish. Because of his strong physical stature an SS overseer trained him to be a boxer, and had him compete at fights to the death in front of the military personnel. The fights took place at the concentration camp Jaworzno
Central Labour Camp Jaworzno
Central Labour Camp Jaworzno was a concentration camp in Jaworzno, Poland. It operated from 1943 until 1956, first run by Nazi Germany and then by the Soviet Union with the People's Republic of Poland...
, which was situated at a coal mine north of Auschwitz
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
. Haft fought 76 fights at this concentration camp. When the camp in Jaworzno was dissolved because of the advancing Soviet Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
, the inmates were sent on death marches. In 1945 Haft managed to escape. On the run he found refuge on a farm. Out of fear of being betrayed, he murdered the two elderly people who harbored him
In 1949 he emigrated with the help of an uncle into the United States. There he made his living by competing as a prizefighter, this time in showfights controlled by the Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
, against opponents such as Rocky Marciano
Rocky Marciano
Rocky Marciano , born Rocco Francis Marchegiano, was an American boxer and the heavyweight champion of the world from September 23, 1952, to April 27, 1956. Marciano is the only champion to hold the heavyweight title and go undefeated throughout his career. Marciano defended his title six times...
. As a professional boxer he competed in 22 fights, of which he won 14.
His eldest son Alan Scott was born in 1950. Harry Haft confided to him the story of his life, which was published in 2006 in the USA with the help of historians John Radzilowski and Mike Silver. On the basis of this biography Reinhard Kleist created a graphic novel, which is being published sequentially since April 2011 in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , short F.A.Z., also known as the FAZ, is a national German newspaper, founded in 1949. It is published daily in Frankfurt am Main. The Sunday edition is the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung .F.A.Z...
.
In April 2007 he was included in the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
Literature
- Alan Scott Haft: Harry Haft: Auschwitz Survivor, Challenger of Rocky Marciano published by Syracuse University Press 2006. ISBN 0815608233.