The Fred Marcus story is not unusual.
But the man himself was exceptional.

An only child, born in Berlin in 1924, Fred Marcus had a carefree, comfortable childhood in a cultured German family — until Hitler came to power. While many Jews were leaving the country, he and his parents were unable to do so due to the illness of his mother, Gertrud. Her death in 1938 freed him and his father, Samuel, to escape. One of the few options left in 1939 was Shanghai, an open city with no passport or visa requirements. His father purchased steamship tickets from Genoa to Shanghai, and after a long 28-day journey, they arrived.

Until some treasured belongings could be sold, Fred and his father lived in a heim (home, in reality, a camp), set up for refugees, in a room with 50 other men. They ate their meals in soup kitchens, and sought a livelihood. They considered themselves fortunate when they were able to move out of the heim into a small room with no indoor plumbing. Surrounded by an alien culture, Fred, at 15, had no home, no country, no school, no job,no prospects. His plight was shared by some 20,000 refugees escaping from Nazi oppression.

When the Japanese occupied Shanghai in 1943, all stateless refugees were ordered into the Hongkew ghetto. The occupiers neither fed nor clothed the refugees, who were on their own to survive. Piecing together odd business and jobs, he and his father managed to exist. However, the death of Samuel in 1944, was — as Fred described it — the nadir of his life. Nonetheless, Fred carried on with courage. He became part of a large circle of friends, and he furthered his interest in religious, intellectual, and cultural pursuits — participating in worship services, attending and giving lectures, teaching French, going to concerts and films, and serving his community as a member of the ghetto police and as a volunteer fireman.

After the war, Fred went to work for E.D. Sassoon in the hotel business as a reception clerk at the Cathay Hotel (now the Peace Hotel). In 1949, at the age of 24, aided by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, he emigrated to the United States, one of the last Jews to leave Shanghai before the Communist takeover.

In America

Now this young refugee was presented with another challenge: to make a life for himself in yet a third country. After a stint as Assistant Manager of the Huntington Hotel in San Francisco, Fred changed careers and became a full-time Jewish educator. In his 40s, he went to college and earned a B.A. degree, followed by a Master’s Degree in Jewish Education from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles. Running a school of nearly 1,000 students in San Jose, California, Fred was esteemed by his congregants. For many years, he served as both Director of Education and Administrator. His abilities and accomplishments were recognized by his colleagues when they elected him President of the National Association of Temple Educators.

In his later years, after his retirement from his congregation, Fred moved to Denver, Colorado. There, in addition to a new career as a travel consultant, he became a revered teacher of adults. He served a term as president of the Colorado Agency for Jewish Education and was a frequent speaker before groups of school children, organizations, and churches. He devoted his spare time to speaking about growing up in Nazi Germany, the Holocaust, and Jews in wartime Shanghai. A highlight of his life was the honorary doctorate he was awarded in 2000 by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Another was his interview by the Shoah Foundation. Until his death in 2002, he taught classes in the adult education program of his synagogue, Temple Sinai.

Besides many career accomplishments, Fred was a devoted and enthusiastic family man. He and his wife Audrey Friedman Marcus blended their five children and nine grandchildren into a loving and cohesive group. Fred had an enormous zest for life — he loved music and theater and movies and wonderful food and fine wine. He was a perpetual student of Judaism. He and Audrey traveled together to 103 countries, making many friends wherever they went.

Fred Marcus was a quintessential teacher. He taught his family, friends, and community to love one another. He taught them to treasure the Jewish tradition, and to do everything possible to assure its continuity. Most important, he taught that we must forgive – yes, even the perpetrators of the greatest evil of the twentieth century – at the same time that we never forget.

The Fred Marcus Memorial Holocaust lecture honors the memory of this remarkable individual. Further, it carries on his belief in the importance of teaching about the Holocaust, especially to young people.

 

 

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