Kurt Epstein

Kurt Epstein (January 29, 1904 – February 1, 1975) was a Czechoslovakian Olympic water polo player and survivor of Nazi concentration camps. [2][3][4][5]

Kurt Epstein
Born(1904-01-29)January 29, 1904
DiedFebruary 1, 1975(1975-02-01) (aged 71)
CitizenshipCzech/American
OccupationOlympic water polo player
Known for
  • Played water polo in two Olympics
  • Incarcerated in Nazi concentration camps
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[1]
ChildrenHelen Epstein, Tom Epstein, David Epstein

Early life

Epstein was Jewish, and born to Maximilian and Helena Epstein. He grew up in Roudnice nad Labem on the bank of the Elbe River, 22 miles north of Prague, in what was then the Austro-Hungarian province of Bohemia.[3][4][6] He lived in a house built by his father in 1900, on the site on which his grandfather built the first ever house owned by a Jew outside the Jewish quarter of Prague in 1830.[6] While in high school, he became a competitive rower and swimmer, and also a swimming coach.[3][6][7]

In 1924, he joined the Czechoslovak Army, was picked for reserve officers school, and became a second lieutenant.[4][8][6] The Czechoslovak National Swim Club asked that he be granted leave of absence to compete for them.[4]

Water polo career

Epstein represented Czechoslovakia in water polo at the 1928 Summer Olympics and the 1936 Summer Olympics.[2] His team finished tied in ninth position in both Olympics.[2]

Incarceration in Nazi concentration camps

After the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1938, Epstein was incarcerated at various Nazi concentration camps, including Theresienstadt concentration camp, Auschwitz concentration camp, and a labour camp at Frydlant.[3][4] All of the other members of his family were killed as a result of being gassed by the Nazis.[8]

Later life

He returned to Prague after World War II, and was elected a member of the Czechoslovak Olympic Committee.[3][4][6] After the Communists took over in 1948, he emigrated to the United States.[4]

He married Franci Rabinek Solar, a dress designer who had herself been interned at Theresienstadt concentration camp, then Auschwitz concentration camp, and finally Bergen-Belsen concentration camp from which the British had liberated her. She was also the only survivor in her family.[9] They had a daughter, Helen Epstein, who became a writer and an associate professor of journalism at New York University, and two sons.[6][9][10][11]

In New York City during 1948, the New York Athletic Club permitted Kurt to observe one of their water polo matches, but clarified that as they did not accept Jews as members, he would not be hired as a coach.[9] After a decade of being unable to find steady employment, he ultimately became a cutter in a clothing factory of Star Children's Wear in the Garment District.[3][4][10]

See also

References
  1. Joe Eskenazi (September–October 2006). "A Jew, a Czech, an Officer, and an Olympian" (PDF). Martyrdom & Resistance. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 4, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  2. "Kurt Epstein Biography and Olympic Results". Sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  3. "A Jewish Athlete: Swimming Against Stereotype in 20th Century Europe, by Helen Epstein". Plunkett Lake Press. Archived from the original on March 30, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  4. Helen Epstein (April 13, 2009). "My Father, The Jewish Athlete". The Jewish Writing Project. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  5. "Kurt Epstein". The New York Times. February 2, 1975. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  6. Helen Epstein (November 4, 1990). "The House on Jan Hus Street". The New York Times. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  7. Helen Epstein (1988). Children of the Holocaust; conversations with sons and daughters of survivors. Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-011284-7. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  8. Alan L. Berger, Naomi Berger (2001). Second generation voices; reflections by children of Holocaust survivors and perpetrators. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 0-8156-0681-8. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  9. Alan Levy (July 27, 1994). "Helen Epstein: Growing Up Czech in New York". The Prague Post. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  10. "Patrick Mehr, Consultant, Weds Prof. Helen Epstein". The New York Times. December 12, 1983. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  11. Paul R. Mendes-Flohr, Jehuda Reinharz (1995). The Jew in the modern world: a documentary history. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-507453-X. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
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