Erich Finsches

Erich Finsches (born 11 September 1927), also known as Erich Richard Finsches, is an Austrian Holocaust survivor, contemporary witness and non-professional actor. As a Jewish child and adolescent, he was persecuted under Nazi Germany, subjected to forced labour and deported to Auschwitz concentration camp and to subcamps of Dachau concentration camp. For many years, Finsches has spoken as a contemporary witness, particularly in the context of historical and political education at schools. He has also appeared in films by Austrian director Ulrich Seidl.

Early life and persecution

Erich Finsches was born on 11 September 1927 in Vienna into a Jewish family.[1][2] After the Anschluss of Austria in 1938, he was subjected to persecution as a Jewish child. In an interview with the newsroom of the Austrian Parliament, Finsches recalled that he was arrested as an eleven-year-old during the November pogroms after searching for his missing father at a local police station.[3] According to the OeAD project weiter_erzählen, Finsches was arrested in November 1938 and was taken to Eisenerz for forced labour in 1939.[4]

Finsches escaped to Vienna, where he lived for a time in hiding. He was later again subjected to forced labour and fled to Hungary. According to weiter_erzählen, he lived there for two years and was involved in the Yugoslav resistance.[4] In 1944, Finsches was arrested in Budapest and deported to Auschwitz concentration camp. He was later imprisoned in subcamps of Dachau concentration camp, including the Mühldorf and Kaufering subcamp complexes, where he was forced to perform labour connected with bunker construction and Organisation Todt.[4][2]

Finsches was liberated on 27 April 1945 and returned to Vienna in October 1945.[5] According to weiter_erzählen, he has three children and lives in Vienna.[4]

Contemporary witness work

Erich Finsches watching the documentary Leben und Überleben, which is about his life.

Finsches has worked for many years as a contemporary witness, speaking at schools and commemorative events about his experiences of persecution under National Socialism.[6][7] In 2022, a more than four-hour interview with Finsches was recorded for the weiter_erzählen platform as part of the OeAD programme ERINNERN:AT.[4]

Finsches has also appeared as a contemporary witness at events connected to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site. The Gedächtnisbuch für die Häftlinge des KZ Dachau lists him as a former prisoner of Auschwitz, the Dachau subcamps Mühldorf am Inn and Kaufering, and Dachau concentration camp itself.[2] The Süddeutsche Zeitung has reported on Finsches as a survivor of Dachau and its subcamps and on his participation in commemorative events.[8][9]

In 2025, the Austrian Parliament published an interview with Finsches on the anniversary of the November pogroms, focusing on his memories of persecution beginning in 1938.[3] In the same year, Finsches was honoured in the Austrian Parliament together with other contemporary witnesses in connection with the presentation of the Simon Wiesenthal Prize.[3]

Film and theatre

Finsches appeared in several films by Ulrich Seidl. According to Seidl's official website, he was discovered as a performer for later Seidl films during the research for Bilder einer Ausstellung.[10] In Seidl's feature film Dog Days, he played the old man.[11] In Import/Export, he played Herr Schlager.[12]

The life story of Erich Finsches forms the basis of the classroom theatre play Ein Zniachtl by Wiener Klassenzimmertheater. The play deals with Finsches's experiences as a persecuted Jew during the Nazi period and was offered in cooperation with the OeAD programme ERINNERN:AT for young audiences aged 13 or 14 and above.[6][13] At Dschungel Wien, Ein Zniachtl was announced as a play about the life of Erich Finsches; it was directed by Dana Csapo and performed by Andrzej Jaślikowski.[13]

Finsches is also the subject of the documentary film To Live and Survive by Matthias Jaklitsch. The film portrays him as a Viennese contemporary witness and Holocaust survivor and deals both with his persecution under National Socialism and his life in post-war Vienna.[14] The project received support from the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism in 2023.[14]

Filmography

References

  1. ↑ "Erich Richard Finsches". National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "Finsches, Erich". Gedächtnisbuch für die Häftlinge des KZ Dachau (in German). Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 "„Ich wurde in eine Zelle mit 400 anderen Menschen gepresst"". Austrian Parliament (in German). 7 November 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Erich Finsches". weiter_erzählen. Zeitzeug:innen-Interviews des OeAD-Programms ERINNERN:AT (in German). 5 January 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  5. ↑ Brnada, Nina (27 April 2025). "„Ich wache oft schweißgebadet auf, ich zittere und schreie in der Nacht"". profil (in German). Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  6. 1 2 "„Ein Zniachtl" – Klassenzimmertheater". ERINNERN:AT (in German). Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  7. ↑ "Zeitzeugengespräch mit Erich Finsches in der HTL Lastenstraße". ERINNERN:AT (in German). 6 February 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  8. ↑ Waltl, Eva (4 October 2021). "Eine Stimme gegen den Hass". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  9. ↑ "Dachau: Zeitzeuge Erich Finsches über Auschwitz, Kaufering und Mühldorf". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  10. ↑ "Ulrich Seidl – Bilder einer Ausstellung". Ulrich Seidl Filmproduktion (in German). Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  11. ↑ "Hundstage. Presseheft" (PDF). Ulrich Seidl Filmproduktion (in German). Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  12. ↑ "Import/Export". filmportal.de. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  13. 1 2 "Ein Zniachtl. Das Leben von Erich Finsches". Dschungel Wien (in German). Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  14. 1 2 "Leben und Überleben – Ein Film über Erich Finsches". National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism (in German). Retrieved 1 June 2026.
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