Leopold Rosner (26 June 1918 – 10 October 2008) was a Polish-born Australian musician. Rosner, who was

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 ...

, survived the

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 ...

Nazi concentration camps From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps (), including subcamp (SS), subcamps on its own territory and in parts of German-occupied Europe. The first camps were established in March 1933 immediately af ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

by playing his

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

for

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

officials. This earned the attention of

Oskar Schindler Oskar Schindler (; 28 April 1908 – 9 October 1974) was a German industrialist, humanitarian, and member of the Nazi Party who is credited with saving the lives of 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his enamelware and amm ...

, who saved his life by having him placed on his famous list. His story became known after Australian author

Thomas Keneally Thomas Michael Keneally, Officer of the Order of Australia, AO (born 7 October 1935) is an Australian novelist, playwright, essayist, and actor. He is best known for his historical fiction novel ''Schindler's Ark'', the story of Oskar Schindler' ...

's 1982 novel, ''

Schindler's Ark ''Schindler's Ark'' is a historical fiction published in 1982 by the Australian novelist Thomas Keneally. It is based on the fictionalized story of the historical figure, Oskar Schindler. The United States edition of the book was titled ''Schin ...

'', was adapted into

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

's Oscar-winning film, ''

Schindler's List ''Schindler's List'' is a 1993 American epic historical drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. It is based on the historical novel '' Schindler's Ark'' (1982) by Thomas Keneally. The film follows ...

''. He appeared in the epilogue of the film at the Schindler's grave on

Mount Zion Mount Zion (, ''Har Ṣīyyōn''; , ''Jabal Sahyoun'') is a hill in Jerusalem, located just outside the walls of the Old City (Jerusalem), Old City to the south. The term Mount Zion has been used in the Hebrew Bible first for the City of David ( ...

Life

Early life

Rosner was born in

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

on 26 June 1918. He was one of nine children in a family that performed in the music business.

The Holocaust

Rosner was a successful

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

artist and entertainer in Kraków,

by the time the country was

invaded An invasion is a military offensive of combatants of one geopolitical entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory controlled by another similar entity, often involving acts of aggression. Generally, invasions have objectives of co ...

and occupied by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

in 1939. The Rosner family fled to the rural town of

Tyniec Tyniec is a historic village in Poland on the Vistula river, since 1973 a part of the city of Kraków (currently in the district of Dębniki). Tyniec is notable for its Benedictine abbey founded by King Casimir the Restorer in 1044. Etymology ...

e, where they played in barns for food. They were soon caught and sent to the

Kraków Ghetto The Kraków Ghetto was one of five major metropolitan Nazi ghettos created by Germany in the new General Government territory during the Occupation of Poland (1939–1945), German occupation of Poland in World War II. It was established for the p ...

, where they lived in cramped and dangerous conditions. Leo continued to play music with his brother, Henry Rosner. Leo played the accordion, and Henry played the violin. They played at the ghetto's cafes, where he met his wife, Helen (born 1924). They were married on 17 January 1943, but on his wedding night Leo was deported to

Płaszów concentration camp Płaszów is a suburb of Kraków, Poland, now part of Podgórze district. Formerly a separate village, it became a part of the Greater Kraków in 1911 under the Austrian Partition of Poland as the 21st cadastral district of the city. During World ...

without her. Helen and her sister, Janka, were deported to the Płaszów that March. While at Płaszów, Rosner, along with his brother Henry, were forced to perform for the notorious camp commandant

Amon Göth Amon Leopold Göth (; 11 December 1908 – 13 September 1946) was an Austrian SS functionary and war criminal. He served as the commandant of the Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp in Płaszów in German-occupied Poland for most of th ...

. Rosner's talent with his accordion earned him the attention of

. Schindler had Rosner and his surviving family members moved to his

camp Camp may refer to: Areas of confinement, imprisonment, or for execution * Concentration camp, an internment camp for political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or minority ethnic groups * Extermination ...

Brněnec Brněnec () is a municipality and village in Svitavy District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,300 inhabitants. Administrative division Brněnec consists of four municipal parts (in brackets population according to the ...

, Czech Protectorate, in 1945. However, Rosner's wife, Helen, along with the other female ''

Schindlerjuden The ', literally translated from German as "Schindler Jews", were a group of roughly 1,200 Jews saved by Oskar Schindler during the Holocaust. They survived the years of the Nazi regime primarily through the intervention of Schindler, who affor ...

'', including Henry's wife Manci, were transferred to the notorious

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 ...

. After a harrowing few weeks, Schindler was able to bribe camp officials to have them transferred out. The couple was reunited at Schindler's camp, the

Brünnlitz labor camp The Brünnlitz labor camp () was a Germany, German Arbeitslager, forced labor camp which was established in 1944 just outside the town of Brněnec ( in German), Reichsgau Sudetenland, Sudetengau (part of occupied Czechoslovakia). It operated sol ...

, where they remained in relative safety until the end of World War II, when the camp was liberated by the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

Post World War II

Leo and Helen Rosner immigrated to Australia in 1949 and settled in Melbourne. The couple had two daughters, Frances Rosner and Anna Rosner Blay. He worked as a musician and eventually fronted a twelve piece band. He continued to perform into his eighties. He was well known in the Melbourne musician business as well as in the Australian

Holocaust survivors Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no universall ...

community. He traveled to

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

for the 1993 film ''

'' to appear in the film's epilogue with other ''Schindlerjuden'' paying their respects at the grave of Oskar Schindler. Rosner suffered from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

in his later years, but was still able to perform at his and Helen's 65th

wedding anniversary A wedding anniversary is the anniversary of the date that a wedding took place. Couples often mark the occasion by celebrating their relationship, either privately or with a larger party. Special celebrations and gifts are often given for partic ...

celebration in 2008.

Death

Leo Rosner died on 10 October 2008, at the age of 90, of complications from

in Melbourne, Australia. He was survived by his wife, Helen Rosner, who was 84 years old at the time of Leo's death. Rosner was also survived by his two daughters, six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. His funeral was held at Melbourne Chevra Kadisha Cemetery in

Springvale, Victoria Springvale is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Greater Dandenong local government area. Springvale recorded a population of 22,174 at the . Springvale ...

. His wife, Helen Rosner, died in 2010 after suffering from heart problems and

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

, at age 86.

References

External links

Australian Jewish News: Musician saved by Schindler dies at 90

The Age: A hit on Schindler's music list
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rosner, Leo 1918 births 2008 deaths 20th-century Polish Jews Australian people of Polish-Jewish descent Naturalised citizens of Australia Jewish Australian musicians Polish emigrants to Australia Musicians from Melbourne Musicians from Kraków Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp survivors Kraków Ghetto inmates Schindlerjuden Polish musicians Neurological disease deaths in Victoria (state) Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in Australia