Life story by Helmut Sonneberg: Eintracht fan and contemporary witness
Life story by Helmut Sonneberg: Eintracht fan and contemporary witness
Gießen, Deutschland - in February 2023 Helmut "Sonny" Sonneberg, a remarkable Eintracht fan and survivor of the Theresienstadt concentration camp. He was 91 years old. Sonneberg, known for his humor and ability to entertain with anecdotes, often spoke about the 1959 championship final, which is still of particular importance for many fans of harmony. His life was characterized by serious experiences that he had as a Jew during the Second World War. At the age of only 14 he returned to Frankfurt, where he discovered his passion for football and Eintracht Frankfurt. Giessener Anzeiger reports that Sonneberg was deported to the concentration camp together with his mother and only survived through a narrow line of hope.
Sonneberg was born in 1931 as the son of a Jewish mother and a Catholic stepfather. It was only in 1938 that his true identity was revealed. He experienced the war and the horrors of the Nazi regime up close. In February 1945, at the end of the war, he was deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. After the war he found his love for football when he played in various youth teams from Eintracht Frankfurt and finally reached the second team. [Bundesliga] (https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/helmut-sonneberg- Holocaust-Survivor-story-stracht-Frankfurt-19026) mentioned that he spent a lot of time in the Waldstadion to support the team. His path was not always easy, but Eintracht remained an important anchor for him in difficult times.
a life full of stories
The memories of Sonneberg are characterized by anecdotes and experiences that he has gathered over the years. Every game, every season, was a piece of life story for him, which he passionately shared. Matthias Thoma, the head of the Eintracht Museum, published a biography of Sonneberg entitled "Zu Sonny's story" to document the experience of this extraordinary man. Giessener Anzeiger also explains that Thoma gave a lecture on Sonneberg's life in the old castle in Gießen to promote awareness of democracy and tolerance.
During his time in the concentration camp, Sonneberg was forced to leave his childhood and innate dreams behind. But the weight of his experiences did not prevent him from leading an active and committed life. Despite the pressure and the uncertainties that should shape his youth, he found comfort in football.a committed contemporary witness
It started to talk about his traumatic experiences. This did not happen until 2018 when he was encouraged to share his story. He worked tirelessly for democracy and openness, whereby his experiences as a witness often helped him to achieve and clarify younger generations. Sonneberg was confronted with the decision in the course of his life to put down his club membership at Eintracht Frankfurt when he learned from a former SS member in an honorary position. Ultimately, however, he himself became an honorary member of the association, which shows his deeply rooted connection to Eintracht.
It is part of a higher goal of the culture of remembrance to promote dialogue about racism and discrimination. In such a context, the life stories of people such as Ludwig Isenburger, whose fates are closely linked to the history of football, gain essential importance. Isenburger, a former sports journalist and co -founder of FC Germania in 1894, experienced similar fates and was severely restricted in 1933 with the National Socialists' takeover in his career. Such stories show the strength of the human mind and the meaning of community, even in times of need.
What remains are the memories and the messages that Sonny Sonneberg leaves. Despite everything, he always emphasized that he was great fun. And so the greatest hope remains that Eintracht Frankfurt, one of his joys of life, can get another championship one day.
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| Ort | Gießen, Deutschland |
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