Mavro Frankfurter

Rabbi Mavro Frankfurter
Rabbi Mavro Frankfurter around 1941
Position	Rabbi
Synagogue	Vinkovci Synagogue
Position	Judaism teacher
Organisation	Vinkovci Gymnasium
Personal details
Born	15 May 1875 Holešov, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now Czech Republic)
Died	1942, (aged 67) Jasenovac concentration camp
Nationality	Croatia
Denomination	Orthodox Judaism
Residence	Vinkovci
Parents	David and Katerina Frankfurter
Spouse	Rebekka-Rivka (née Figel) Frankfurter
Children	David Frankfurter

Mavro "Moše" Frankfurter (1875–1942) was known Croatian and Vinkovci rabbi who was killed during the Holocaust at the Jasenovac concentration camp.

Frankfurter was born in Holešov, Czech Republic (then part of Austro-Hungarian Empire) on May 15, 1875 to David and Katerina Frankfurter. He was married to Rebekka-Rivka (née Figel) Frankfurter, with whom he had three children: daughter Ruth and two sons, David and Alfons (later Avraham). Frankfurter family lived in Daruvar where Frankfurter was a rabbi. On the eve of World War I he moved with his family to Vinkovci where he was appointed as rabbi, and later in 1914 as Chief rabbi. Frankfurter was fluent in German, Polish, Hebrew and Croatian. In Frankfurter household German and Hebrew was spoken. During the construction of Nova ulica (New street) in Vinkovci, Frankfurter built a family mansion (now street of Jurja Dalmatinca and street of Vladimir Nazor). From 1914 to 1941, in addition to the regular activities at the Jewish community of Vinkovci and Vinkovci Synagogue, Frankfurter worked as a Judaism teacher at the Vinkovci Gymnasium.^[1] In 1936 his son David assassinated Swiss branch leader of the German NSDAP Wilhelm Gustloff in Davos, Switzerland. Frankfurter hair turned grey overnight when he heard of the assassination. He visited his son in prison and asked him "... who actually needed this?".^[2] During World War II and the Nazi occupation of Vinkovci in 1941, Frankfurter was made to stand on a table while the German soldiers spat in his face, pulled out the hair from his long beard, and struck him with their rifle butts. Frankfurter and his wife were killed in 1942 by Ustaše at the Jasenovac concentration camp.^[3][4][5]

References

1. Tomo Šalić (2002, pp. 37, 403, 405)
2. Šarčević, Josip (2007-10-03). "David Frankfurter". Hrvatski povijesni portal (in Croatian). Miljenko Hajdarović. ISSN 1846-4432. Retrieved 2013-02-05.
3. Martin Gilbert (1987, p. 148)
4. "Mavro Frankfurter". Pages of testimony by Avraham Frankfurter (son). Yad Vashem. 2013-02-05.
5. "Moshe Frankfurter". Pages of testimony by David Frankfurter (son). Yad Vashem. 2013-02-05.

Bibliography

• Šalić, Tomo (2002). Židovi u Vinkovcima i okolici. Osijek - Zagreb: Židovska općina Osijek - Kratis. ISBN 953-6742-01-2.
• Gilbert, Martin (1987). The Holocaust: A History of the Jews of Europe During the Second World War. New York City: Holt Paperbacks. ISBN 978-080-500-348-2.