On Saturday February 6, 2010 a mostly unknown Czech national hero Otto Wolf returned
to his home town Mohelnice - in the movie document called The Diary of Otto Wolf. This document was the main feature in the cine meeting in the Mohelnice Museum. The title of the meeting - Banned Stories, suggests Jewish stories were prohibited by the Nazis in the country from 1939 to 1945 and than not wanted by the Communists until 1989. That is the reason why many important figures and heroes of Jewish origin remain partially or entirely forgotten until now.

Otto Wolf was born in Mohelnice on June 05, 1927. His parents were Jewish. They were very proud of their Czech heritage, they spoke Czech and their children went to Czech schools, even though the town of Mohelnice was at that time predominantly German.  Later the Wolfs moved to Olomouc. Shortly after the Nazi occupation they moved to a nearby village Trsice.
To avoid being deported to a concentration camp, Otto, together with his parents and sister, lived from 1942 to 1945 by hiding in the nearby forest of the village Trsice. During the summer they lived in subterranean shelters and during winter in a wooden shed in fields or
in attics in the village. They survived for almost three years thanks to help of their Christian friends.  

Otto Wolf starts to write a diary beginning on the first day of hiding, where he regularly recorded concise notes about meal they ate, supplies, weather, unusual events and also their fears and hopes. His diary is a unique and important document about co-existence of Jewish and Christian people during the Nazi occupation. After some time almost all villagers knew about Wolf’s family, but no one betrayed them, even though everyone knew they risk their own lives.

Three weeks before the end of the war Otto was captured by an accident during an anti guerilla raid conducted by the German secret police. He was badly tortured, apparently even his tongue was cut off, but he never revealed even his name, names of his protectors, or the hiding place of his family. Otto was shot and burnt to death together with other 18 men
on April 20th, 1945. All of them were accused of being resistance fighters. Otto’s parents
and sister Felicitas survived in their shelter.

The Diary of Otto Wolf is certainly, in several instances, comparable to The Diary of Anne Frank.  Anna started to write, when she was 13, Otto was 15, in both cases the first entries
are from summer 1942, Anne’s and Otto’s fathers survived and attempted to publish the diaries. However, there is a big difference. Anne Frank’s diary was published two years after the end of WWII, in 1947, then translated into many languages and soon became one of the most famous books about Holocaust in the world. Publishing of Otto’s diary was not favored by authorities in Czechoslovakia for a long time. First and only edition of his diary appeared
a half century after the end of war, in 1997 (after the Velvet Revolution). In 1998 the movie document about the Otto’s diary was prepared by the Czech TV. Prof. Ludvik Vaclavek
from the Palacky University in Olomouc took part in the preparation of the book and movie document as well. On Saturday he also came to the Mohelnice Museum and sheared his knowledge in this subject with guests.
 
Otto's older brother Kurt studied the School of Medicine. In 1939 he escaped to Russia,
where he joined the Czech army unit and fought Nazis on the Eastern front. He was killed
in the battle by Sokolovo in 1943. Kurt was declared as one of the heroes of this battle and was decorated by several distinctions, including the Czechoslovak War Cross 1939 and Order
of the White Lion.  

“One would expect, heroes like the Wolf brothers would be known in schools in the region and teachers would use them as role models for young people. Unfortunately I must say, most students and teachers have very little or no knowledge about their stories. This is the reason why our event today was organized”, said Ludek Stipl from the Foundation Respect and Tolerance.  

Other presentations in the Mohelnice Museum focused on the known contemporary French artist Terry Haass, who lived before WWII in Mohelnice and Usov. The last presentation documented the life story of Edith Carter Knöpflmacher, who was born in 1914, survived Theresienstadt, Auschwitz and the March of Death. Her family perished in Holocaust. In 1948 she emigrated to the USA, where she still lives
    
During the intermission visitors had an opportunity to taste special cookies, which were prepared after a book of recipes from the Theresienstadt (Memory’s Kitchen – A Legacy From the Women of Terezín). The program, which was very well attended was organized
by the Foundation Respect and Tolerance in cooperation with Sumperk Heritage Museum, Mohelnice Museum and Friends of Mohelnice History Association as the observance
of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day .