Rudolf Böhmer: The Untold story of a Sinti Boy's Survival during the Holocaust

In 1942, Heinrich Himmler ordered the deportation of Sinti and Roma people to the Extermination Camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. Rudolf’s parents and three sisters were taken to the newly established “Gypsy Family Camp” there, where they were later murdered. In May 1944, Criminal Investigation Department officers chased and arrested Rudolf, then 15, and deported him to the same camp, where he learned of his family’s fate. 

After the liquidation of the family camp in Auschwitz, Rudolf was sent to Buchenwald Concentration Camp along with hundreds of other Sinti and Roma men and boys, to serve as forced labourers. But even here, he was deemed expendable. Within weeks, the SS sent him back to Auschwitz, where most of his companions were murdered upon arrival. Rudolf was among the few who survived, defying the odds stacked so heavily against his people. 

In early 1945, Rudolf was transferred to Flossenbürg Concentration Camp in Germany during the chaotic final months of the war. As the Nazis forced prisoners on death marches, Rudolf seized the opportunity to escape and find freedom.  

After the war, Rudolf Böhmer sought to rebuild his life, but the discrimination against Sinti and Roma in postwar Germany proved insurmountable. Like so many survivors of his community, Rudolf faced systemic barriers, prejudice, and a lack of recognition for the suffering he endured. At just 40 years old, Rudolf Böhmer passed away. His life is a testament to resilience, but also to the profound impact of generations of marginalization. 

The animation is part of the Persecution Through Their Eyes project and a result of the collaboration with the St. Joost School of Art & Design in Den Bosch and Breda.