Siegmund Breitbart (22 February 1893 – 12 October 1925), also known popularly as Zishe or Sische Breitbart (), was a Polish-born circus performer,

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

strongman Strongman is a competitive strength sport which tests athletes' physical strength and endurance through a variety of heavy lifts and events. Strongman competitions are known for their intensity, pushing athletes to their physical and mental limit ...

and

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

ish folklore hero. He was known as the "Strongest Man in the World" and ''Eisenkönig'' ("Ironking") during the 1920s.

Early life

Breitbart was born into an observant

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 ...

family of

blacksmiths A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gril ...

Stryków Stryków is a town in central Poland, in Łódź Voivodeship, in Zgierz County. It has 3,428 inhabitants (2020). It is located within the historic Łęczyca Land. History Early history The first mention of Stryków was in 1387. Stryków was a v ...

near

Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...

(Poland), on February 22, 1893.

Strongman

Breitbart performed extensively in Europe and America touring with the Circus Busch using a strength act themed to fit his former background as a blacksmith. He bent iron bars around his arm in floral patterns, bit through iron chains or tore them apart, and even broke horseshoes in half. It has been reported that he would tear solid steel sheets 5/8" thick and 3 feet long. As a showman, Breitbart feats also included holding back two whipped horses, pulling a wagon-load of people with his teeth and supporting enormous weights, such as automobiles loaded with up to ten passengers, while lying on his back. Stones would be broken by sledge-hammers on his chest. He also lifted a baby elephant, and while holding on to the elephant, he climbed a ladder and held a locomotive wheel by rope in his teeth while three men were suspended from the wheel. Breitbart took one of the most popular feats among the strongmen of the era and made it part of his act. During ''The Tomb of Hercules'', a bridge was built across his chest and heavy beasts such as a bull, or an elephant, were paraded over the boards. But Breitbart took it a step further, he would support a motordrome on his chest while two men chased each other on motorcycles inside. Seizing on the mail-order muscle-development-course craze of the time, Breitbart authored a book titled ''Muscular Power'' and the Breitbart mail-order course. The course was based around body-weight exercises and a special "Breitbart Apparatus", a progressive resistance exerciser made to simulate steel bending movements. He starred in the 1923 film '' The Iron King''.

Death

Breitbart died eight weeks after he accidentally injured himself during a strongman demonstration in

Radom Radom is a city in east-central Poland, located approximately south of the capital, Warsaw. It is situated on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship. Radom is the fifteenth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in its province w ...

, Poland. He stabbed himself in the knee with a spike he drove through five oak boards using only his bare hands. The wound became infected, which led to fatal

blood poisoning Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood is compo ...

. Although he endured ten operations in which both legs were amputated, the infection was too severe. Breitbart died in October 1925. He was buried in the Adass-Jisroel cemetery in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Legacy

Breitbart was played by Finnish strongman

Jouko Ahola Jouko Ahola (born 1 December 1970) is a Finland, Finnish former Strongman (strength athlete), strongman, powerlifter and actor. He is a two time World's Strongest Man winner, a two time Europe's Stron ...

in a highly fictionalized account of his life in

Werner Herzog Werner Herzog (; né Stipetić; born 5 September 1942) is a German filmmaker, actor, opera director, and author. Regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema, his films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with unusu ...

's 2001 film '' Invincible''. He was also the inspiration for the children's book ''Zishe the Strongman'' by Robert Rubenstein, from Kar-Ben Publishing. The ''Reform Judaism Magazine'' have credited Breitbart, who was billed during his 1923 American tour as "the Superman of the Ages," with inspiring

Joe Shuster Joseph Shuster ( ; July 10, 1914 – July 30, 1992) was a Canadian-American comic book artist best known for co-creating the DC Comics character Superman, with Jerry Siegel, in ''Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938). Shuster was involv ...

and

Jerry Siegel Jerome "Jerry" Siegel ( ; October 17, 1914 – January 28, 1996) Roger Stern. ''Superman: Sunday Classics: 1939–1943'' DC Comics/ Kitchen Sink Press, Inc./ Sterling Publishing; 2006 was an American comic book writer. He was the co-creator of ...

to create the iconic superhero

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

, although Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster never said anything about his influence. One of his direct descendants is American Pilates instructor and writer Joan Breibart.

References

External links

*
American Strength Legends: Siegmund "Zisha" Breitbart

a
J-Grit: The Internet Index of Tough Jews
*

Book website for ''Zishe the Strongman''

Interview with Breitbart's nephew Gary Bart
Wexler Oral History Project, Yiddish Book Center, 21 November 2014 {{DEFAULTSORT:Breitbart, Zishe 1893 births 1925 deaths Accidental deaths in Germany American people of Polish-Jewish descent Circus strongmen and strongwomen Infectious disease deaths in Germany People associated with physical culture People from Zgierz County People from Piotrków Governorate Jews from the Russian Empire Polish male stage actors Polish strength athletes Deaths from sepsis Polish amputees American amputees 20th-century Polish Jews