Max Fuchs
Max Fuchs (1922–2018) was an American soldier and cantor.
Max Fuchs (1922–2018) was an American soldier and cantor.[1][2]
Biography
[edit]Born in Rzeszów, Poland, he relocated with his family to New York at the age of 12.[3] Fuchs was drafted into the U.S. Army and served as a rifleman in the First Infantry Division.[3][4] On June 6, 1944, he took part in the D-Day invasion at Omaha Beach, during which he sustained shrapnel wounds.[3]
During the war, Fuchs volunteered as a cantor for a Jewish service broadcast from Germany.[3]The broadcast aired in the United States on NBC.[3] After the war, he studied cantorial music under the G.I. Bill and served as the cantor at the Bayside Jewish Center in Queens for 39 years while working as a diamond cutter.[3]
Fuchs was reserved about his war experiences, though he suffered from recurring nightmares for about 20 years.[3] His participation in the broadcast was documented online, and he was featured in the PBS documentary GI Jews: Jewish Americans in World War II. In 2007, he took part in the rededication of the Eldridge Street Synagogue.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ Republican, Anne-Gerard Flynn | Special to The (July 6, 2018). "Max Fuchs, US soldier who led Jewish prayers in Nazi Germany, dead at 96". masslive.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Max Fuchs, GI Cantor in Historic Battlefield Service, Dies at 96". WRAL.com. July 4, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Goldstein, Richard (July 5, 2018). "Max Fuchs, G.I. Cantor in Historic Battlefield Service, Is Dead at 96". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Vitello, Paul (September 18, 2009). "A Soldier's Voice Rediscovered". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.