The Schindler of Ringmasters: Adolf Althoff
A friend sent me an article from the Daily Beast about a German ringmaster who, dearly World War II, secretly saved Jewish acrobats and other circus performers from the Nazis.
I hadn’t known about the story, although it’s apparently been widely reported upon, and I thought that it’s worth spreading wide here.
I’ve collected a number of sources about Adolf and his good work here, including this video posted by Yad Vashem, the Israeli Holocaust Memorial and Museum:
(because these are links that won’t be updated regularly, if one isn’t working, please let me know on the contact form!)
Daily Beast article- Obit in the NY Times
- Obit in the UK Independent
- Kickstarter project for a solo performance about Althoff and Irene Storm, one of the family that he saved
- Article on Diverging Fates
Sawdust and Spangle-Land – a Brief History of the Circus in Germany