Lali Sokolov
Sokolov in 1947
Born	Ludwig Eisenberg (1916-10-28)28 October 1916 Korompa, Kingdom of Hungary
Died	31 October 2006(2006-10-31) (aged 90)
Other names	"Lali"

Ludwig ("Lali" or "Lale") Sokolov ( né Eisenberg; 28 October 1916 – 31 October 2006), was an Austro-Hungarian-born Slovak-Australian businessman and Holocaust survivor. ^[1]

Biography

Lale Sokolov was born Ludwig Eisenberg on 28 October 1916 in Korompa, Kingdom of Hungary (now Krompachy, ^[2] Slovakia). ^[3] In April 1942, he was deported to Auschwitz as part of the Slovak government's participation in the Holocaust. ^[2] Upon arrival at the extermination camp, he was tattooed with the number 32407. ^[2] He was set to work constructing housing blocks for the expanding camp but soon became ill with typhus. ^[3] Having recovered, he was assigned as one of the camp's Tätowierer ( tattooist). ^[3] As such, he was part of the Politische Abteilung and had an SS officer assigned to monitor him. ^[3] His job meant he was "a step further away from death than the other prisoners", and he received a number of benefits such as a single room, extra rations, and free time when his work had been completed. ^[3]

While in the camp, Sokolov met his future wife Gisela "Gita" Fuhrmannova. He was also involved in trading contraband with prisoners, SS officers, and locals. ^[3]

Eight days before the liberation of Auschwitz by Soviet troops on 27 January 1945, Sokolov was moved to Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. At Mauthausen his Jewish identity was unknown; when he was denounced for being Jewish by a fellow prisoner, he successfully denied the revelation and incited two allies to murder his betrayer in the steel mill's rollers. ^[4] He escaped that concentration camp, and returned to Slovakia. Knowing only Gita Fuhrmannova's name, he went to Bratislava, the main entry point for returning survivors, to search for her. ^[3] The couple married later in 1945, and he changed his surname from Eisenberg to the more Russian-sounding Sokolov. ^[3] He then opened a factory in Bratislava. ^{[2] [3]} During this time, he was involved in collecting money in support of the creation of the State of Israel. ^[3] This activity, and the nationalization of industry by Czechoslovakia's then communist government, resulted in his being imprisoned and having his business seized. ^[3] He was subsequently released and the couple emigrated to Australia in 1948. ^[2]

In Australia, Sokolov and his wife settled in Melbourne and opened up a clothing factory. ^[2] Their only child, Gary, was born in 1961. ^[3] Though his wife visited Europe a number of times, Sokolov never returned. ^[3] Following Gita's death in 2003, he finally felt able to speak about his war-time experience, having feared that he would be perceived as a collaborator. ^{[2] [3]}

He was interviewed by journalist Heather Morris over the next three years, resulting in the publication of The Tattooist of Auschwitz in 2018. ^{[5] [6]} While the book was billed as historical fiction, it generated controversy because of a perception that its marketing and content suggested historical accuracy despite departures from the truth and presenting a hagiographic rendition of a complicated biography. ^[4] Sokolov died in 2006, survived by his son. ^[3]

In popular culture

On 2 May 2024, a miniseries based on The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Morris, was released, starring Harvey Keitel as Lale Sokolov, Jonah Hauer-King as young Lale Sokolov, and Anna Próchniak as Gita. ^[7]

See also

• List of victims and survivors of Auschwitz

References

Further reading

• Morris, Heather (2018). The Tattooist of Auschwitz: based on the heart-breaking true story of love and survival. London: Zaffre Publishing. ISBN  978-1785763649. ( novel)
• Kenneally, Christine. " The Fabulist of Auschwitz: Heather Morris’s bestselling novels ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’ and ‘Cilka’s Journey’, and the problem of truth in historical fiction." The Monthly, Feb. 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
• USC Shoah Foundation Visual History Archive Program