Object numberM2010/100:002
DescriptionPhotograph, hand-coloured, of 'Bully' and Gerda Schott, Berlin 1946.
Salem 'Bully' Schott met Gerda Lewinek through the Berlin Jewish Youth movement in 1937. As his fiancée, Gerda played a crucial role in planning his escape from Auschwitz in August 1944.
Salem Schott was raised in a poor district of Berlin, home to many Eastern European Jews. Trained as a metalworker and electrician, he also pursued boxing with the Jewish Makkabi sports club, where he earned the title of light-middleweight champion, gaining the nickname ‘Bully’.
In September 1939, as a German Jew of Polish descent, Schott was deported to Sachsenhausen concentration camp. His physical strength and resilience helped him endure the harsh labour and brutal conditions. On October 23, 1942, he was transferred, along with nearly all Jews in Sachsenhausen, to Auschwitz. His transport arrived at Auschwitz on October 25, and shortly after, Schott was sent to the Auschwitz-Monowitz labour camp.
Schott's skills as an electrician and welder afforded him certain privileges, including increased mobility within the camp. He developed a rapport with a civilian worker who aided his eventual escape. Gerda, his fiancée, played a pivotal role in the plan: on August 16, 1944, Schott hid inside a workshop. Under the cover of darkness, he changed clothes, cut through a wire fence, and made his way to a train station. His journey back to Berlin took several weeks. Once there, he went underground with Gerda’s help, receiving false papers and shelter from Berliners involved in the resistance.
After the liberation, in June 1945, Bully and Gerda were married in one of the first Jewish weddings in post-war Berlin. Following the birth of their son, Martin, they immigrated to Australia in November 1950, where they settled in Maroubra.
Out of 667 inmates—Poles, Russians, and Jews—who escaped Auschwitz, 270 were recaptured. Schott was one of the few Jewish escapees from the Holocaust's epicenter to successfully evade recapture and survive.
Salem 'Bully' Schott met Gerda Lewinek through the Berlin Jewish Youth movement in 1937. As his fiancée, Gerda played a crucial role in planning his escape from Auschwitz in August 1944.
Salem Schott was raised in a poor district of Berlin, home to many Eastern European Jews. Trained as a metalworker and electrician, he also pursued boxing with the Jewish Makkabi sports club, where he earned the title of light-middleweight champion, gaining the nickname ‘Bully’.
In September 1939, as a German Jew of Polish descent, Schott was deported to Sachsenhausen concentration camp. His physical strength and resilience helped him endure the harsh labour and brutal conditions. On October 23, 1942, he was transferred, along with nearly all Jews in Sachsenhausen, to Auschwitz. His transport arrived at Auschwitz on October 25, and shortly after, Schott was sent to the Auschwitz-Monowitz labour camp.
Schott's skills as an electrician and welder afforded him certain privileges, including increased mobility within the camp. He developed a rapport with a civilian worker who aided his eventual escape. Gerda, his fiancée, played a pivotal role in the plan: on August 16, 1944, Schott hid inside a workshop. Under the cover of darkness, he changed clothes, cut through a wire fence, and made his way to a train station. His journey back to Berlin took several weeks. Once there, he went underground with Gerda’s help, receiving false papers and shelter from Berliners involved in the resistance.
After the liberation, in June 1945, Bully and Gerda were married in one of the first Jewish weddings in post-war Berlin. Following the birth of their son, Martin, they immigrated to Australia in November 1950, where they settled in Maroubra.
Out of 667 inmates—Poles, Russians, and Jews—who escaped Auschwitz, 270 were recaptured. Schott was one of the few Jewish escapees from the Holocaust's epicenter to successfully evade recapture and survive.
Production date 1946
Subjectsurvivors, liberation, establishing new life
Object namephotographs
Materialdigital
Dimensions
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Martin Schott