Lea Dragica Deutsch was a child actress who was murdered in the Holocaust. She was born on March 18, 1927 in Zagreb, Yugoslavia (now Croatia). She was Jewish, the daughter of Stjepan and Ivka. She had a little brother, Saša
Lea Dragica Deutsch was a child actress who was murdered in the Holocaust. She was born on March 18, 1927 in Zagreb, Yugoslavia (now Croatia). She was Jewish, the daughter of Stjepan and Ivka. She had a little brother, Saša.
As a child, Lea had a charmed life. She lived in a three story home, which was located at Gundulićeva street 39. Her father was a lawyer and her mother was an educated housewife. She started off with small roles in professional productions of Shakespeare plays, and soon became a well known dancer and actress in films. She was nicknamed „The Croatian Shirley Temple” and even had a short documentary made about her.
In 1941, the Independent State of Croatia began the implementation of race laws which prevented her from acting. Immediately after the establishment of the NDH, she was banned from the theater where she performed and later from her school. After the war, her friend Relja Bašić said:
„She used to sit motionless on a bench across from the theater in a little herringbone pattern coat with a yellow star of David on her sleeves, staring for hours at the building where once she was a star, and now she couldn’t even enter the building.”
Lots of attempts were made by Lea’s parents, other actors, and regular civilians to get her and her family out of Europe, but sadly all failed. In May of 1943, Lea and her family were arrested and deported. They were shoved with seventy-five other people onto a small cattle cart on a six day journey with no food or water. Of the seventy-five people on board, twenty-five died, including sixteen year old Lea. Her mother and brother were later killed in Auschwitz. Her father survived the war and died in 1959. May their memories be blessings.
REMEMBER LEA AND SAŠA DEUTSCH.
#holocaust #shoah #wwii #ww2 #leadeutsch #history #jewish #neveragain #neverforget less
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