Petr Ginz
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| Petr Ginz | |
 Petr Ginz
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| Born | February 1, 1928 Prague, Czechoslovakia |
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| Died | April 9, 1944 (aged 16) Auschwitz Birkenau |
Petr Ginz (February 1, 1928–1944) was a young Czechoslovak boy of Jewish descent who was deported to the Terezín concentration camp during the Holocaust. At age fifteen, Ginz was deported to Auschwitz concentration camp, where he died in a gas chamber.
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[edit] Life
Petr was born into the family of Ota Ginz, a Jewish clerk from Prague and significant Esperantist, and Marie Ginz (born Dolanská)[1]. His parents met each other at an Esperantist congress. Petr was a very intelligent boy; at age 12 he wrote his first novel, Návštěva z pravěku (English: Visit from Prehistory), written in the Jules Verne style[2]. He also illustrated it with his own paintings. He was interested in the sciences and yearned for knowledge. Because of his parents' interest in Esperanto, Petr became a native speaker of the language.
According to the anti-Jewish laws of the Third Reich, children from mixed marriages were to be deported to a concentration camp at the age of 14. Young Petr was transported to the Terezín concentration camp in 1942. His efforts in sciences and thirst for knowledge remained and he tried to study even in the concentration camp. He was placed in the Domov č.1 (Home No.1, building L417)[1]. He became one of the most significant people of the community.[citation needed] He established and prepared for publication the periodical magazine Vedem. He also wrote an Esperanto-Czech dictionary.
From the texts that remained, and from the testimonials of friends who survived, emerges the great breadth of his interests, abilities and character. He was interested in literature, history, paintings, geography, sociology and also in the technical fields. The magazine Vedem was published every Friday for a whole two years[2].
Petr Ginz was assigned to one of the last transports to Auschwitz concentration camp, where he died in a gas chamber[2].
[edit] Vedem
The magazine was founded shortly after his arrival to Terezín in 1942. Besides Ginz, several other boys from the Domov č.1. also contributed. Petr Ginz became a chief editor and he contributed under the code name nz or Akademie (Academy). Petr gave most of his writings and paintings to his sister before his transport, so a majority are preserved today[1]. His sister was deported to Terezín in 1944; she survived until the liberation[1].
[edit] Diary
Before his transport Petr wrote a diary between 1931 and 1942 about his life. This diary was lost for a long time but when found was published by his sister Eva (now Chava Pressburger) as Diary of my brother. The diary was published in Spanish, Catalan and Esperanto, as well as the original Czech. It was published in English in April 2007. It was reviewed in The New York Times on Tuesday, April 10, 2007 by Ashley Parker.
[edit] Drawing
A copy of a drawing by Petr of the planet Earth as seen from the moon was taken by Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon onto the Space Shuttle Columbia[2], which disintegrated upon its reentry into the Earth's atmosphere[3].
Petr Ginz's drawing and its fateful history have inspired other pieces of art. One example is Variation on Petr Ginz's Moon Landscape.
The asteroid 50413 Petrginz was named in his honor.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Petr Ginz's story
- ^ a b c d Reflex about Ginz
- ^ Colombia tragedy
