Josef Bor
Josef Bor, originally named Josef Bondy, was born on July 2, 1906, in Maehrisch-Ostrau, Austria-Hungary (now Czech Republic). He pursued a legal education, graduating from the University of Brno in 1929, and began his legal career in his hometown. Bor's life took a tragic turn during World War II when he and his family were forced into the Theresienstadt ghetto and later deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where only he survived. After the war, he worked for the Ministry of National Defense in Prague before becoming a mining consultant following the Communist takeover in 1948. Bor is known for his literary contributions, particularly the 1963 work "Terezínské rekviem," which reflects on Jewish experiences in the Theresienstadt ghetto and incorporates themes of survival and resilience. His writings have been acknowledged for their emotional depth and for preserving the complexity of Jewish life during the Holocaust, despite some critiques of his artistic style. Bor remained active in commemorating Holocaust memories until his death on January 31, 1979, in Prague. His work continues to be a vital resource for understanding Holocaust music and Jewish literature.
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Subject Terms
Josef Bor
Writer
- Born: July 2, 1906
- Birthplace: Maehrisch-Ostrau, Austria-Hungary (now Ostrava, Czech Republic)
- Died: January 31, 1979
- Place of death: Prague, Czechoslovakia (now in Czech Republic)
Biography
Josef Bor, whose original name is Josef Bondy, was born on July 2, 1906, at Maehrisch-Ostrau, Austria-Hungary (now Czech Republic). His parents were Anna Lustigová Bondy and Julius Bondy, a lawyer. Bor and his older sister studied at a school their father co-founded, which emphasized Czech culture and language. In 1924, Bor traveled to Zurich, Switzerland, to study law. One year later, he went to Moravia, Czechoslovakia, and enrolled at the University of Brno.
After completing a law degree in 1929, Bor moved to Most, Bohemia, in Czechoslovakia to work as a legal clerk before practicing law in his hometown. In 1934, he married Edita Straussová. They had two daughters. Around 1938, he moved to Kutná Hora, Bohemia. By 1942, Nazis ordered Bor and his family to relocate to Theresienstadt, Bohemia, with other Jews. Known in Czech as Terezín, this ghetto confined Jews prior to being transported to concentration camps. Bor endured many miseries but enjoyed musical activities encouraged by the Nazis to bolster propagandistic images they showed to outsiders.
Nazi officials sent Bor and his family to Auschwitz-Birkenau on October 28, 1944. Only Bor survived. Nazis forced Bor to march to Buchenwald. U.S. soldiers freed him when the war concluded, and Bor worked for the Ministry of National Defense in Prague. He married Holocaust survivor Vally Tausiková in 1946; they had one son and one daughter. Bor was promoted to colonel, received military medals, and altered his surname from Bondy to Bor because the Ministry of Defense requested that no Czech officers retain their German names.
Bor became a mining consultant in early 1952 after the Communists’ seizure of power in 1948 terminated his Ministry of Defense employment. He also assisted German church groups interested in healing relations between Jews and Christians. After his wife died in 1976, Bor reunited with people he had known in Terezín and concentration camps. He spoke at Terezín memorials and married his third wife, Anezka Koudelová. Bor died of a heart attack on January 31, 1979, in Prague.
Holocaust survivors encouraged Bor to write the 1963 Terezínské rekviem (The Terezin Requiem, 1979). He fictionalized how Rafael Schächter had conducted a Jewish orchestra playing Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem in the Terezín ghetto. Bor also contributed essays to Czech periodicals in the 1960’s and 1970’s, posing provocative ideas and interpretations regarding religion.
The Terezin Requiem secured critical attention for Bor’s writing. Scholars credit Bor for accurately preserving depictions revealing the diversity of Jews living in the Terezín ghetto and for encouraging Czech writers to include Jewish characters and themes in literature. Although many reviewers dismissed Bor’s weak artistry, they praised his effective use of language and style to create his characters’ vivid emotions and emphasize their ingenious survival tactics and resolute determination to endure. Even though Bor intended his work to be fictional, many readers perceived it as nonfiction. Scholars consulted it as an essential work to study Holocaust music. Bor’s work was translated and adapted for theatrical performances. Despite his accomplishments, most Czech literary reference books omitted Bor.