Erich Liffmann

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Erich Liffmann

Erich Liffmann (born 22 September 1914 Herrath, Germany, died 11 June 1987 Elwood, Victoria, Australia) was a classically trained musician.

Germany

Liffman began his working career as a sign writer in Germany. He was "discovered" when overheard singing in a shop window by Erwin Palm, then a conductor of the Darmstadt National Opera, who beckoned him to come out into the street by saying "Do you mean to tell me, with a voice like that, you are working as a window dresser?"

He received subsequent training with the oratorio singer Ruth Kisch-Arndt.

England

Because of his Jewish background he decided to escape from

Gaumont British
, was prevented from working by the British Musicians Union.

At the start of the Second World War he was classified as an "enemy alien". Nine months later, he was rounded up with 2,500, mainly Jewish, enemy aliens and deported to Canada. Due to submarine activity his ship, the HMT Dunera, was diverted to Australia. During this eight-week voyage, he and his refugee colleagues were herded into cramped, filthy conditions and were subjected to significant ill treatment from their guards.

Australia

From September 1940 until May 1941, he and his colleagues were interned in two separate, hot dusty compounds located in

open university
, where he devoted more time to his musical studies and participated in shows such as a rewritten version of Snow White, where he played Prince Charming.

After

Tatura, Victoria
, where he subsequently, and somewhat ironically, joined the 8th Employment Company of the Australian Army as Private Eric Liffman. The 8th Employment Company was set up to specifically employ five hundred former Dunera internees.

"Radio Times" article describing the discovery of the tenor singer Eric Liffman, May 17–23, 1942. Note that the article is in error regarding the singer's age: he was twenty seven years of age at the time of the concert.

Six weeks after enlisting in the Australian Army, he became an "overnight singing sensation" following two broadcasts from the

Melba Memorial Conservatorium of Music. His performance activities assisted in raising thousands of pounds for the war effort and associated charities. This included a charity associated with Lady Jacobena Angliss
.

Eric Liffman and Lady Jacobena Angliss in 1944 planning a series of charitable concerts with the title "Songs the People Love".

Return to Germany

Liffman was able to return to London near the end of 1946. He was eager to travel to Germany to find whether any of his parents (Hermann and Mathilde), three brothers (Alfred, Willy, Max) and a sister (Selma) had survived. He was initially refused entry into Germany, but was able to tour the occupied British zone by joining a Navy entertainment show called the "Tokio Express".

Unfortunately, his parents had been murdered in

Auschwitz,[1][2] but he was able to locate his sister, who had survived Dachau[3] and was living in Brussels, Belgium. His brother Max had also moved to Brussels and survived the war by living "underground", i.e., in hiding with his wife. Their daughter, Ruth,[4] had survived by being adopted and cared for by foster parents. His brother Willy had also survived by joining the Free French Foreign Legion and fighting the Nazis in the Sahara, in particular, at Tobruk. The fate of his brother Alfred is unclear, but he did not survive the war and may have died in Minsk.[5]

After reuniting with the remainder of his family, he toured Belgium and parts of Northern Europe.

Return to Australia

The Australian Government refused to extend his visa and he returned to Australia in 1947 to pursue a musical career

Masonic Lodges.[7]

References

  1. ^ Liffmann, Hermann. "Hermann Liffmann - victim of the Shoah".
  2. ^ Liffmann, Mathilde. "Mathilde Liffmann - victim of the Shoah".
  3. ^ Liffmann, Selma. "Selma Liffmann - survivor of Auschwitz and Dachau".
  4. ^ Treister, Ruth. "Ruth Triester - USC Shoah Foundation Institute testimony of Ruth Triester".
  5. ^ Liffmann, Alfred. "Alfred Liffmann - victim of the Shoah".
  6. ^ Liffman, Eric. "YouTube Video: Eric Liffman Sings Folk Songs". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
  7. ISBN 978-1925341218
    .
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