The Baum Group was an anti-Nazi resistance group in Berlin, Germany. The Group's members were mostly Communist, Jewish, and young with many being teenagers or young adults.[1]
The group printed and distributed anti-Nazi literature and organized activities. Its members were executed for setting fire to Das Sowjetparadies (The Soviet Paradise), an anti-Soviet exhibit in Berlin's Lustgarten.[2]
Founding
Herbert and Marianne Baum before they married
The Baum Group was founded by Herbert Baum in 1936, 1937 or 1938 depending on the source.[3] Herbert Baum was active in the Communist Youth Federation (KJVD), but was pushed out of mainstream Communist organizations including the Communist Party of Germany because he was Jewish.[2]
Through his connections, Baum organized a group of like-minded individuals to undertake anti-Nazi activities. Most members of Baum's group were Jewish and young. The average age of the members was 22. Baum's wife, Marianne, was a central figure in the group.[2] By 1938, the group had 100 members.[4]
Herbert and Marianne Baum were ordered into forced labor at the Jewish department of the Siemens electric motors factory where they continued to recruit members.[2]
Activities
The Baum Group printed and distributed anti-Nazi literature and planned resistance activities and initiatives. Because Jews had limited access to typewriters at the time, non-Jewish members secretly typed materials while at work. Stenciled leaflets and other materials were made in Herbert and Marianne Baum's basement.[5]
On May 18, 1942, the Baum Group and another anti-Nazi group set fire to Das Sowjetparadies (The Soviet Paradise), an anti-Soviet exhibit in Berlin's Lustgarten.[2] Group members were caught by the Nazis. Herbert Baum was tortured to death in Moabit Prison, dying on June 11, 1942. The Gestapo reported his death as a suicide. His wife, Marianne, was executed in Plötzensee Prison on August 18, 1942. Other members were executed at Berlin-Plötzensee in 1943. After the arson attack, the Nazis also detained and executed 500 Berlin Jews. Most were executed quickly and others were murdered a short time later in prisons and concentration camps.[1]
