Dora Gerson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dora Gerson
Dora Gerson in circa 1922 publicity photograph
Born	Dorothea Gerson (1899-03-23)23 March 1899 Berlin, German Empire
Died	14 February 1943(1943-02-14) (aged 43) Auschwitz-Birkenau, German-occupied Poland
Occupation	Actress, singer
Years active	1920s
Spouse(s)	Veit Harlan ​ ​ (m. 1922; div. 1924)​ Max Sluizer ​ (m. 1936)​
Children	2

Dora Gerson (born Dorothea Gerson on March 23, 1899) was a talented German singer and actress. She was famous for her cabaret performances and roles in silent films. Sadly, she was killed at Auschwitz during the Holocaust, a terrible time when many Jewish people were persecuted.

A Star in the Making

Dora Gerson was born Dorothea Gerson in Berlin, Germany. She came from a Jewish family. Dora started her career as a singer and actress. She toured Germany with a group called the Holtorf Tournee Truppe.

Early Career and Marriage

During her tours, Dora met film director Veit Harlan. They got married in 1922 but divorced two years later. Later, Veit Harlan directed a film called Jud Süß. This film was used by the Nazi Party to spread harmful ideas against Jewish people.

Silent Film Roles

In 1920, Dora Gerson appeared in two films. These were Auf den Trümmern des Paradieses and Die Todeskarawane. Both films also starred Hungarian actor Béla Lugosi. Today, these films are considered lost films, meaning they no longer exist. Dora continued to be a popular cabaret singer and acted in more films throughout the 1920s.

Facing Hard Times

By 1933, the Nazi Party took control in Germany. They began to take away rights from Jewish people. Because Dora was Jewish, her career suffered greatly. She was not allowed to perform in "Aryan" (non-Jewish) films.

Dora then started recording music for a small Jewish record company. She also began singing in Yiddish. Her 1936 song "Der Rebe Hot Geheysn Freylekh Zayn" became very important to Jewish people in Europe. She also recorded popular German songs like "Backbord und Steuerbord" and "Vorbei" (Beyond Recall). "Vorbei" was a sad song remembering Germany before the Nazis.

Moving to the Netherlands

In 1936, Dora Gerson moved to the Netherlands with her family. They were trying to escape the Nazi persecution. She married Max Sluizer there. In 1938, Dora lent her voice to a famous animated film. She dubbed the voice of the Evil Queen in the German version of Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This version was shown in Amsterdam.

The Holocaust and Death

On May 10, 1940, Germany invaded the Netherlands. Jewish people there faced the same harsh rules as those in Germany. After living under Nazi control for several years, Dora and her family tried to escape. They wanted to reach Switzerland, which was a neutral country during World War II.

In 1942, Dora and her family were caught while trying to flee. They were sent by train to Westerbork transit camp. From there, they were sent to the Nazi camp of Auschwitz in Nazi-occupied Poland. Dora, her husband Max Sluizer, and their two young children, Miriam and Abel, were all murdered at Auschwitz on February 14, 1943.

Filmography