SALMAN ARUSCH -AUSCHWITZ BOXER DIES

iN 1989 aMERICAN ACTOR Willem Dafoe starred in the movie ''TIUMPH OF THE SPIRIT'' about the Macedonian Jewish boxer Salman Arusch who survived Auschwitz by boxing at S.S. guards smokers.
Teddy Atlas who in real life was Mike Tyson's trainer early in ''Iron Mike's career played Dafoe/Arusch's ring cornerman in the movie but now Auschwitz survivor Arusch has just recently died.
Over 20 amateur ad pro boxers perished in Auschwitz beteen 1941-44 the most famous being Tunisian Jew Victor ''Young'' Perez who was recognised in Europe as the world flyweight boxing champion beteen 1930-32 but Perez arrested in Paris in 1942 during a Nazi backed sweep by Paris gendarmes to arrest Jews for transporataion to Auschwitz via Drancy in Paris, was not so fortunate long term as Salam Arusch.
Perez was at first made to box at an S.S. smoker held in Auschwitz's main ''Appel'' square shortly after arrival at the Death Camp where he was awarded a draw against an S.S. middleweight boxer who outweighed him by around 40lbs but eventually the novelty of having an ex-world champion boxer at their beck and call wore off for the S.S. and Perez was murdered in 1943.
A fate which stresses how fortunate Arusch was to survive his incarceration there.
Ironically, Hitler championed boxing as a sport in ''Mein Kampf'' -obviously only as long as Aryans practised it. But the Nazis bestiality to professional sportsmen didn't just stop with boxers.
In 1943 after they defeated a Luftwaffe soccer team in a public match most of the players from Dynamo Kiev were arrested and killed in local concentation camps.

 

Yes it's sad to see holocaust survivors pass away... However his name is spelled Salamo Arouch..

For those who are curious he was a Greek Jew who was on his way to becoming a professional boxer. That was cut short when the Nazis deported him and his family to Auschwitz. His family perished in the gas chambers but he was chosen for labor. It wasn't until he had gotten into a fight with a fellow prisoner that the Nazi guards noticed his boxing abilities. To their amusment the nazi guards put together a boxing ring for weekly matches between prisoners. As long as he was able to beat his challengers, his life would be spared. Thanks to his speed and fancy footwork, he beat his opponents who sometimes outweighed him more than 100 pounds. (He weighed only 135 pounds)

He managed to survive 2 years in Auschwitz with an astounding 208 knockouts!




His story inspired the hollywood film "triumph of the spirit" (1989)

After liberation Mr. Arusch moved to Israel where he lived for the remainder of his life. He passed away in April 2009. He was 86.


Brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "fighting to survive" !


(EDIT- I know it's an old post but i'm just catching up)