Ilse Totzke was officially recognized as Righteous Among the Nations in 1995 for her efforts to protect Jewish individuals during the Holocaust. A German musician who studied at the Bavarian State Conservatory in Würzburg, she risked her personal safety and liberty to maintain prohibited friendships, eventually attempting to help a friend escape Nazi Germany by crossing into Switzerland.
Early life and education
Born on 4 August 1913 in Strasbourg, Ilse Sonja Totzke was the daughter of the actress Sofie Wilhelmine Huth and conductor Ernst Otto Totzke. Following her mother’s death in 1920, she lived in Mannheim and completed her education in Ludwigshafen. In 1932, she enrolled at the Hochschule für Musik Würzburg, where she specialized in piano, violin, and conducting.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →Resistance to the Nuremberg Laws
After the 1935 enactment of the Nuremberg Laws, Totzke faced mounting pressure from authorities to cease her social interactions with Jewish acquaintances. Despite repeated denunciations to the Gestapo and a forced warning in October 1941, she refused to comply with regulations or adopt Nazi customs. She openly criticized Hitler's rule during interrogations, citing the Nuremberg Laws as fundamentally incomprehensible.
Escape attempt and imprisonment
In 1942, Totzke met Ruth Basinski in Berlin. On 26 February 1943, the two women attempted to cross the Swiss border near Durmenach. After being turned back by border guards, they tried again the following night but were apprehended and surrendered to German authorities. Basinski was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp, while Totzke was transferred to Ravensbrück on 12 May 1943, where she served in the camp orchestra until her liberation in April 1945.
Post-war years
Following the war, Totzke returned to the Alsace region. She lived privately until her death on 23 March 1987 in Haguenau. In 1995, Yad Vashem posthumously honored her with the title of Righteous Among the Nations for her defiance of Nazi policy and her commitment to helping those persecuted by the regime.
Fast facts
- Born: 4 August 1913, Strasbourg
- Died: 23 March 1987, Haguenau
- Nationality: German
- Education: Hochschule für Musik Würzburg
- Occupation: Musician
- Recognition: Righteous Among the Nations (1995)
Questions readers ask
Why was Ilse Totzke sent to a concentration camp?
She was sent to Ravensbrück for consistently maintaining relationships with Jewish friends and attempting to assist Ruth Basinski in fleeing Germany, acts which violated the Nuremberg Laws.
What role did music play in her survival?
Totzke was a skilled flautist and was selected to perform as a member of the orchestra at the Ravensbrück concentration camp.
Achievements
- Righteous Among the Nations — 1995
- Worked as musician
- Educated at Hochschule für Musik Würzburg
