Hugo Gabriel Gryn (pronounced ''green'' by him) (25 June 1930 – 18 August 1996) was a British

Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

, a national broadcaster and a leading voice in

interfaith dialogue Interfaith dialogue, also known as interreligious dialogue, refers to cooperative, constructive, and positive interaction between people of different religion, religious traditions (i.e. "faiths") and/or spirituality, spiritual or humanism, hum ...

Biography

Hugo Gryn was born into a prosperous Jewish family in the market town of

Berehovo Berehove (, ; , ) is a city in Zakarpattia Oblast, western Ukraine. It is situated near the border with Hungary. It is the cultural centre of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine, and Hungarians constitute roughly half (a plurality) of its popula ...

Carpathian Ruthenia Transcarpathia (, ) is a historical region on the border between Central and Eastern Europe, mostly located in western Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast. From the Hungarian Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin, conquest of the Carpathian Basin ...

, which was then in

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

, and is now in

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. His parents, who married in 1929, were Geza Gryn (1900–1945), a timber merchant, and Bella Neufeld. The town of Berehovo was annexed by Hungary in 1938 as part of the occupation of Czechoslovakia. In 1940 he relocated to a boarding school in

Debrecen Debrecen ( ; ; ; ) is Hungary's cities of Hungary, second-largest city, after Budapest, the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain Regions of Hungary, region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar County. A city with county rights, it was the large ...

, Hungary, until 1944. In early 1944, his father was able to successfully obtain exit visas to Turkey for the immediate family of four. However, he did not proceed at the time, due to concerns about the safety of the larger extended family. In April 1944, the family was forcibly moved out of their home into the Berehovo Ghetto. Gryn's grandparents, parents and younger brother were deported to

Auschwitz Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschw ...

on May 28 1944, arriving on May 31. On arrival at the camp, his younger ten-year old brother, Gabriel, was separated from the family and was murdered shortly after arrival in the gas chambers. His mother was also separated from the family; she ended up surviving the ordeal, and was reunited with Hugo after the war. On arrival at Auschwitz, Hugo Gryn, then in his mid-teens, was reportedly told by a

Sonderkommando ''Sonderkommandos'' (, ) were Extermination through labor, work units made up of Nazi Germany, German Nazi death camp prisoners. They were composed of prisoners, usually Jews, who were forced, on threat of their own deaths, to aid with the di ...

to say he was 19, to avoid being sent to the gas chambers during the initial sorting on arrival. Hugo and his father were later selected for carpentry work after volunteering that they had experience in this area, and were moved to Lieberose Concentration Camp. After a period of forced labour, they were sent on a

death march A death march is a forced march of prisoners of war, other captives, or deportees in which individuals are left to die along the way. It is distinct from simple prisoner transport via foot march. Article 19 of the Geneva Convention requires tha ...

Sachsenhausen concentration camp Sachsenhausen () or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a German Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used from 1936 until April 1945, shortly before the defeat of Nazi Germany in May later that year. It mainly held political prisoners t ...

in January 1945, before being moved to

Mauthausen concentration camp Mauthausen was a German Nazi concentration camp on a hill above the market town of Mauthausen, Upper Austria, Mauthausen (roughly east of Linz), Upper Austria. It was the main camp of a group with List of subcamps of Mauthausen, nearly 100 f ...

in February 1945, and finally in April 1945 to Gunskirchen concentration camp, a sub-camp of

Mauthausen Mauthausen was a German Nazi concentration camp on a hill above the market town of Mauthausen (roughly east of Linz), Upper Austria. It was the main camp of a group with nearly 100 further subcamps located throughout Austria and southern ...

, in May 1945, where they were liberated by the US Army 71st Infantry Division on May 4 1945. His father died a few days after he and Hugo were liberated, from suspected

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposu ...

. Gryn came to the United Kingdom in 1946, and was sent to board at the Polton House Farm School in

Lasswade Lasswade is a village and civil parish in Midlothian, Scotland, on the River North Esk, south of Edinburgh city centre, contiguous with Bonnyrigg and between Dalkeith to the east and Loanhead to the west. Melville Castle lies to the north ...

, near

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. He won a scholarship to study Mathematics at

King's College, Cambridge King's College, formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, is a List of colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college lies beside the River Cam and faces ...

, and after graduation volunteered to serve in the Israeli Army during the

1947–1949 Palestine war The 1948 Palestine war was fought in the territory of what had been, at the start of the war, British-ruled Mandatory Palestine. During the war, the British withdrew from Palestine, Zionism, Zionist forces conquered territory and established ...

. In 1950, he went to

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, in the United States, where he studied for the rabbinate at the

Hebrew Union College Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and remained in regular use as a first language until ...

, a seminary for Reform rabbis.

Albert Friedlander Albert Hoschander Friedlander OBE (10 May 1927 – 8 July 2004) was a rabbi and teacher. Early life and education Albert Friedlander was born on 10 May 1927 in Berlin, the son of a textile broker, Alex Friedlander (d. 1956) and Sali Friedland ...

'Gryn, Hugo Gabriel (1930–1996)'
''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

'',

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, September 2004; online edition, October 2008. Accessed 2 July 2020. (Note that online access to this requires a subscription, either as an individual or through a library that has a subscription.) Upon receiving his ordination, Gryn was sent to

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

by the

World Union for Progressive Judaism The World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) is the international umbrella organization for the various branches of Reform Judaism, Reform, Liberal and Progressive Judaism, as well as the separate Reconstructionist Judaism. The WUPJ is based i ...

, which had sponsored his studies, and following a spell working for the Union and for the

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in New York, he returned to Britain in 1964, where he served in one of the largest congregations in Europe, the

West London Synagogue The West London Synagogue, abbreviated WLS, and fully the West London Synagogue of British Jews () is a Reform Judaism, Reform Judaism, Jewish congregation and synagogue, located near Marble Arch, at 34 Upper Berkeley Street, in the City of Wes ...

, initially as assistant rabbi and later as senior rabbi, for 32 years. Gryn became a regular radio broadcaster, appearing for many years on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

's ''

Thought for the Day ''Thought for the Day'' is a daily scripted slot on the ''Today'' programme on BBC Radio 4 offering "reflections from a faith perspective on issues and people in the news", broadcast at around 7:45 each Monday to Saturday morning. Lasting 2 minu ...

'' and '' The Moral Maze''. In 1989, Gryn returned to Berehovo, together with his daughter Naomi, to make a film about his childhood. After his death, Naomi edited his autobiography, also called ''Chasing Shadows'', which deals movingly with his experiences as a

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

survivor. He married Jacqueline Selby on 1 January 1957, and they had four children together. Gryn died of cancer on 18 August 1996, aged 66, and is buried at Hoop Lane Cemetery in

Golders Green Golders Green is a suburb in the London Borough of Barnet in north London, northwest of Charing Cross. It began as a medieval small suburban linear settlement near a farm and public grazing area green, and dates to the early 19th century. It ...

, London. The grave lies in a relatively prominent location, just north-east of the main entrance. The

Chief Rabbi Chief Rabbi () is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a capitulation by Ben-Zion Meir ...

at the time,

Jonathan Sacks Jonathan Henry Sacks, Baron Sacks (8 March 19487 November 2020) was an English Orthodox rabbi, philosopher, theologian, and author. Sacks served as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1991 to 2013. As ...

, refused to attend his funeral on principle. Sacks wrote in later leaked private correspondence that as part of the Jewish Reform movement, Rabbi Gryn was a part of a "false grouping" and one of "those who destroy the faith". Gryn was described as "probably the most beloved rabbi in Great Britain" by Rabbi

, who was also the author of the entry about Gryn in the ''

''.

References

External links

Hugo Gryn
interviewed by

Sue Lawley Susan Lawley (born 14 July 1946) is an English retired television and radio broadcaster. Her main broadcasting background involved television news and current affairs. From 1988 to 2006, Lawley was the presenter of ''Desert Island Discs'' on BBC ...

's ''

Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a " castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight audio recordin ...

'', 10 July 1994
Imperial War Museum oral history interview conducted in May 1986

Michael Freedland: "Everyone's chief rabbi"
''

The Jewish Chronicle ''The Jewish Chronicle'' (''The JC'') is a London-based Jewish weekly newspaper. Founded in 1841, it is the oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the world. Its editor () is Daniel Schwammenthal. The newspaper is published every Fri ...

'', 26 May 2016 {{DEFAULTSORT:Gryn, Hugo 1930 births 1996 deaths 20th-century English rabbis Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Auschwitz concentration camp survivors British broadcasters British people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent British Reform rabbis Burials at Golders Green Jewish Cemetery Czechoslovak emigrants to England Czechoslovak Jews Deaths from cancer in England

Alumni Alumni (: alumnus () or alumna ()) are former students or graduates of a school, college, or university. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for groups of women, and alums (: alum) or alumns (: alumn) as gender-neutral alternatives. Th ...

People from Berehove Rabbis from London Ukrainian emigrants to the United Kingdom