Moritz Rabinowitz - Overview

Personal Background

• Birth: 20th September 1887, Rajgrod, Russian Empire (now Poland)
• Death: 27th February 1942, Sachsenhausen, Germany
• Rabinowitz was one of many Jews fleeing Tsarist Russia due to persecution.

Journey to Norway

• Born in Poland, part of Russia at the time.
• First of four children.
• Father was a rabbi and wanted the same for him.
• Moved to Bergen, Norway in 1901 to escape persecution.
• Worked for his uncle as a traveling salesman before joining his uncle’s store.

Business Career

• Established his own business in Haugesund in 1911.
• Aimed to sell affordable, modern clothing.
• Business expanded to several stores and a factory in Southern and Western Norway.
• Employed 140 people in stores and 100 in his factory by 1940.
• Married Johanna Goldberg from Berlin; had one daughter, Edith.

Civic Engagement

• Spoke multiple languages and was highly engaged in societal issues.
• Sued anti-Semite Mikal Sylten in 1927 but lost the case.
• Actively warned against Adolf Hitler and Nazism even before their rise to power.
• Published articles and pamphlets on the threats posed by Nazism.
• Wrote to leaders like Paul von Hindenburg to protest against antisemitic actions.

Persecution and Death

• Targeted by Nazis when they occupied Norway in April 1940.
• Fled but was arrested on 4th December 1940.
• Deported to Sachsenhausen where he died in 1942 due to maltreatment.
• His daughter, son-in-law, and grandchild were also killed in Auschwitz.

Legacy

• His story has been remembered through documentaries and plays, such as Mannen som elsket Haugesund.
• Commemorated with a memorial stone and a street named after him in his hometown.
• Biannual seminars are held in his honor focusing on his interests, initiated on his 125th birthday in 2012.

Additional Resources

• Literature:
  • Moritz Rabinowitz's "Verdenskrisen og vi: Individuell livsplan"
  • Arne Vestbø's biography "Moritz Rabinowitz. En biografi."

Historical Registry

• Historical population register ID: pf01073938010402