Fritzie Fritzshall

Early Life and Survival

Fritzie was born Fritzie Weiss in 1929 in Klucharky, Czechoslovakia. She lived with her mother and two brothers; her father had immigrated to the United States in order to provide a better life for his family. In 1944, the Germans invaded Fritzie’s hometown and she and her family were forced into a ghetto. Shortly after, she and her family were deported to the Auschwitz – Birkenau killing center, where her mother and two brothers were murdered. She was only thirteen years old. Close to the end of the war, Fritzie was moved to a sub camp of Auschwitz where she worked as a slave laborer in a factory. In 1945, she was finally liberated by Soviet forces, while on a death march to Germany

Building a New Life

After the war, in 1946, Fritzie came to the United States and was reunited with her father. She eventually settled in Chicago, became a hairdresser, and married Norman Fritzshall who was a World War II veteran and Japanese POW survivor. They had one son.

A Lasting Legacy

Fritzie was an active member of the community, serving as President of the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center. Fritzie continued to speak extensively on the local and state level about her experiences and lessons of the Holocaust. In 2015, Fritzie was awarded the Bertha Honoré Palmer Making History Award for Distinction in Civic Leadership from the Chicago History Museum, and in 2020 the Global Citizenship Hero award from the Chicago Red Cross. Fritzie passed away in June 2021.