Eintracht legend Sonny: A moving life between football and persecution

Eintracht legend Sonny: A moving life between football and persecution

Sonneberg, Deutschland - On June 26, 2025, the Gießen Museum was the scene of a moving book presentation. Matthias Thoma, the head of the Eintracht Museum, presented his work "Sonny's story", who tells the life story of Helmut "Sonny" Sonneberg, a Jewish fan of Frankfurt Eintracht. Sonny, born in Frankfurt in 1931, had had to experience the horror of the Holocaust in his youth and for a long time could not talk about his Jewish roots and persecution during the Nazi era. Its history is of great importance on both personal and cultural levels and gives insights into Jewish life in Germany, especially in the period of National Socialism.

Sonny's childhood was characterized by painful experiences. In the course of the Reichspogromnacht 1938, he learned about his Jewish origin and was deported to Theresienstadt concentration camp with his mother. After the war from which he was one of the few survivors, he found his place in the world of football - as a loyal fan of Eintracht Frankfurt, which became the "second family" for him. His enthusiasm for the club and its humorous nature made him an estimated figure among the followers, despite the heavy burden of his past.

A departure after decades of silence

In an impressive way, the book describes the transformation that Sonny went through. First broken and traumatized after his return from the concentration camp, he found himself in the post -war years. With a total of 17 different jobs, including as a firefighter and taxi driver, he was looking for his luck. It was only in the last few years of his life, supported by Matthias Thoma, Sonny dared to talk about his past and break his silence over the Holocaust. His impressive life story became even broader through his appearance at "Markus Lanz" on the television program.

The event in the Gießen Museum only attracted 20 visitors, but the importance of Sonny's story is undisputed. It reflects the experiences of many Jewish people and throws a light on the history of Jewish sport in Germany, as examined in various studies. Historians have long neglected the role of Jews in German sport, but now it becomes clear that Jewish athletes were decisively involved in the sport of sports in Germany before they were pushed to the edge by the political circumstances of the 1930s.

memory and processing

The story of Helmut Sonneberg and its growing level of awareness also illustrate the need to preserve the memory of Jewish athletes and their contributions to German sport. The emergence of Jewish sports clubs and the associated difficulties during National Socialism show that the survivors were often the last witnesses of a lively culture that was sadly deleted from the memory of many. Local researchers and fan groups are now trying to process the fates of former Jewish members in sports clubs so that such stories are not forgotten.

Helmut "Sonny" Sonneberg died in February 2023 at the age of 90. Despite his traumatic experiences, he had never lost, which made him an admired fan of harmony and kept his humor even in difficult times. Eintracht Frankfurt has also clearly positioned itself against discrimination, racism and anti -Semitism and thus confirms the values ​​that Sonny embodied far beyond football.

So the memory of Sonny and its story not only remains part of the club's history, but also warns of never forgetting the dark chapters of the past and keeping up the values ​​of respect and humanity.

For further information about Helmut "Sonny" Sonneberg and the processing of Jewish sports history in Germany, please visit the articles from Giessener Allgemeine , hessenschau and bpb.de .