Discover three stories from the temporary exhibition ‘Sport and sportspeople in KL Auschwitz’

A soccer player from Amsterdam, a gymnast from Antwerp, and a boxer from Warsaw.They may seem to have little in common, yet during World War II, all three ended up in the same place: Auschwitz-Birkenau. Each was arrested and deported simply because they were Jewish. Discover the stories of Sam Meljado, Simon Borisewitz, and Tadeusz Pietrzykowski.

Salomon ‘Sam’ Meljado

Sam Meljado was born on August 12, 1905, in Amsterdam. His parents already had four children: Juda, Simon, Vrouwtje, and Rebecca. After Sam, the family welcomed one more child, Sara. In the summer of 1908, the family moved to Antwerp. Many members of the Meljado family were passionate about soccer. Besides Sam, his brother Simon and sister Sara also played for local clubs. At age twelve, Sam was scouted by Beerschot and joined their youth team. At seventeen, he made his debut in the first team.

Sam became one of the best central midfielders of his generation. Between 1922 and 1928, he won five national championships with Beerschot. He later also played for SK Roeselare. Being of Jewish descent, the Meljado family was no longer safe when war broke out. In 1942, Sam was arrested and sent to the Les Mazures labor camp in northern France, where he was forced to work under harsh conditions. The work regime was brutal, and living conditions were poor. He was later transferred to the Dossin Barracks and deported from there to Auschwitz-Birkenau. There, Sam was sent to the coal mines of Jawischowitz. Every few weeks, prisoners deemed unfit to work were selected. Sam was among them. In early 1943, at the age of 37, Sam Meljado was murdered

Simon Borisewitz

Simon Borisewitz was the second son in the Borisewitz family. He had an older brother, Jacques Philippe, and two younger brothers, Oscar and Robert. The Borisewitz family was well known in Antwerp’s sporting world, and all four brothers were members of the Jewish sports club Maccabi. Simon was a well-respected gymnast who competed internationally and took part in the Maccabi Games — the Jewish Olympics. In the 1930s, Simon and his brother Jacques opened a sports store called Bonbony Sports.

When World War II broke out, the Borisewitz family was torn apart and would never be reunited. Simon remained in Antwerp and kept the shop running with Jacques. On April 14, 1941, Bonbony Sports was ransacked during a pogrom. The brothers attempted to restart the business after repairing the damage, but in the summer of 1942, Bonbony Sports closed its doors for good.

To make ends meet, Simon took a job as a gymnastics teacher in 1942. He taught at various Jewish schools in Antwerp and Brussels, commuting between the two cities. The Resistance approached him and asked whether he could transport underground newspapers and forged documents during his travels. This led Simon to join the Jewish Defense Committee — the largest Jewish resistance and hiding network in Belgium. In 1944, he was arrested for his resistance work. He was deported via the Dossin Barracks. Simon died in Ebensee-Mauthausen in 1945, less than two months before liberation.

Tadeusz ‘Teddy’ Pietrzykowski

Tadeusz ‘Teddy’ Pietrzykowski was a Polish boxing legend. In 1937, he was the boxing champion of Warsaw and runner-up for Eastern Poland. In 1940, he was arrested while trying to join the Polish army units forming in France. He was deported to Auschwitz with the first transport of Polish political prisoners on June 14, 1940. There, he fought a boxing match against a German prisoner — the beginning of a long series of fights in Auschwitz. Over time, he participated in more than 40 matches, earning him the unofficial title of camp heavyweight champion.

While in Auschwitz, Tadeusz made a vow: “If I survive this hell, I will devote my life to the youth. So they will never have to fight for their lives, never go hungry, stay healthy and strong, and have the chance to study and play sports.”

He survived the camps. After the war, he worked as a coach and trainer for young people. Until his death in 1991, he remained committed to commemorating the victims of Auschwitz.