Imre Hercz (10 March 1929 – 24 July 2011) was a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

Hungarian- Norwegian physician and public debater. Hercz was born in

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

and had his childhood years in

Nagyvárad Oradea (, , ; ; ) is a city in Romania, located in the Crișana region. It serves as the administrative county seat, seat of Bihor County and an economic, social, and cultural hub in northwestern Romania. The city lies between rolling hills on ...

, in the Hungarian part of

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. At the age of 15, he was deported to

Auschwitz concentration camp Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...

in May 1944, later to Vernichtungslager

Kaufbeuren Kaufbeuren (; Bavarian language, Bavarian: ''Kaufbeiren'') is an independent city, independent town in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Swabia (Bavaria), Swabia, Bavaria. The town is an enclave within the Districts of Germany, district of Ostallgäu. ...

(also known as Riederloh II) and then to

Dachau concentration camp Dachau (, ; , ; ) was one of the first concentration camps built by Nazi Germany and the longest-running one, opening on 22 March 1933. The camp was initially intended to intern Hitler's political opponents, which consisted of communists, s ...

, but survived. After being hospitalized in

Amberg Amberg () is a Town#Germany, town in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in the Upper Palatinate about halfway between Regensburg and Bayreuth. History The town was first mentioned in 1034 with the name Ammenberg. It became an important trading c ...

for five and a half years, he recovered and emigrated to Norway in 1952 as one of several Jewish Holocaust-survivors of lesser health accepted to Norway with substantial grants from

Joint A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...

to the Norwegian government. He finished secondary education in 1955 and graduated from the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...

with a cand.med. degree in 1961. He worked in

Tønsberg Tønsberg (), historically Tunsberg, is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tønsberg Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located about south-southwest of the capital city of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near ...

Vinstra Vinstra is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in Nord-Fron Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The town is the administrative centre of the municipality. The town is located in the Gudbrandsdalen valley, at the confluence of the Gu ...

and

Brumunddal Brumunddal is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in Ringsaker Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The town is the administrative centre of the municipality. It is located on the shores of the lake Mjøsa, about north of the town of ...

from 1962 to 1970, before opening a medical clinic in

Høvik Høvik is a suburban area in the municipality of Bærum, Akershus, Norway, within the Oslo metropolitan area. Primarily a residential area, its population was 4,311 in 2005. Høvik is typically divided into two parts: Nedre (lower) and Øvre (up ...

in 1971. He resided in

Nesbru Nesbru is a village in Asker, Akershus, Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipela ...

, and later moved to

. Hercz represented the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

as a deputy in

Ringsaker Ringsaker () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Hedmarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Br ...

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...

from 1968 to 1970, and chaired the local party branch. He was a board member of the Mosaic Religious Community (Jewish Community in Oslo) from 1972 to 1991, member of the

Norwegian Refugee Council The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC; ) is a humanitarian, non-governmental organisation that protects the rights of people affected by displacement. This includes refugees and internally displaced persons who are forced to flee their homes as a res ...

from 1972 to 1991, national board member of the

Norwegian Medical Association The Norwegian Medical Association ( (1886–2008), spelled ''Den norske legeforening'' since 2008) is the main Norwegian medical association and trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply ref ...

from 1981 to 1993 and national council member of ''Allmennpraktiserende Legers Forening'' (General Practicians Association) from 1984 to 1991. Hercz is well known from the public debate on health policy, but even more so in the debate on defamation and

anti-Semitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

. He has held several public speeches, among others for school students. In February 2009 he won a ruling from Pressens Faglige Utvalg, where a comedian aired on national TV 2 was admonished for defamation and breach of the

Ethical Code of Practice for the Norwegian Press The Ethical Code of Practice for the Norwegian Press (, , ) is a code regulating journalism ethics and standards in Norway. It was first written in 1936. In 1956 it was rewritten for the first time, with important contributions from ''Verdens Gang ...

. In June 2011 he was awarded the

King's Medal of Merit The King's Medal of Merit (Norwegian: ''Kongens fortjenstmedalje'') is a Norwegian award. It was instituted in 1908 to reward meritorious achievements in the fields of art, science, business, and public service. It is divided in two classes: gold ...

. He received patients in his office at Høvik Legesenter even up to his death, making him, at 82 years of age, one of the oldest practicing doctors in Norway. Hercz was married and had four children. He died in July 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hercz, Imre 1929 births 2011 deaths Hungarian Jews 20th-century Norwegian Jews Auschwitz concentration camp survivors Dachau concentration camp survivors Hungarian emigrants to Norway 20th-century Norwegian physicians University of Oslo alumni People from Ringsaker People from Bærum Liberal Party (Norway) politicians Recipients of the King's Medal of Merit