Klaus Goldschlag
Klaus Goldschlag | |
|---|---|
 Goldschlag, c. 1950 | |
| Ambassador of Canada to Germany | |
| In office 1980–1983 | |
| Preceded by | John Gelder Horler Halstead |
| Succeeded by | Donald Sutherland McPhail |
| Ambassador of Canada to Italy | |
| In office 1973–1976 | |
| Succeeded by | Roger Anthony Bull |
| Ambassador of Canada to Turkey | |
| In office 1971–1967 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 23, 1922 Berlin, Germany |
| Died | January 30, 2012 (aged 89) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Alma mater | University of Toronto |
| Awards | Order of Canada |
Klaus Goldschlag, OC (March 23, 1922 – January 30, 2012)[1] was a Canadian ambassador.
Early life
[edit]He was born in Berlin, Germany, to the lawyer Walter Goldschlag (d. 1930) and his wife Charlotte, née Blumenthal. The family on his father's side were middle-class assimilated Jews and included lawyers and merchants.
His paternal uncle, Gerhard, was the father of the infamous Nazi collaborator Stella Goldschlag, and another uncle, George, was a writer.
Goldschlag attended orthodox school and was one of the top students in his class.[2]
During the Nazi regime he became a Jewish semi-orphan[3] living at the Baruch Auerbach home for Jewish children in Berlin Nazi Germany. His father had died in 1930 due to a chronic illness contracted during WWI and his mother not having sufficient money to raise him[4] had to leave him at the orphanage in 1933[5] while she went into hiding. She was only able to visit him occasionally.
In 1934, Alan Coatsworth, a Toronto fire-insurance broker and a Methodist who wanted to finance the escape of a refugee from Nazi Germany and through communication with two rabbis[6] Maurice Eisendrath from Toronto and Leo Baeck in Germany, Coatsworth was made aware of Goldschlags situation, and in 1937 helped him leave Germany and adopted Goldschlag.[3]
Goldschlag attended Vaughan Road Collegiate and it was the wish of Coatsworth that he became a rabbi.[6] In 1939 his mother was able to leave Germany and emigrated to the Dominican Republic. She and her son were reunited in the 1940s.
Career
[edit]After earning his master's degree in Arabic at the University of Toronto, he joined the diplomatic and foreign affairs department.[7]
Public service
[edit]Goldschlag was ambassador to Turkey (1967–1971), Italy (1973–1976) and the Federal Republic of Germany.[8] Goldschlag also served as Deputy Under-Secretary of State for External Affairs. In 1981 he received the Outstanding Achievement Award for public service of Canada.[9] In 1983, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.[10]
Death
[edit]Goldschlag died of pancreatic cancer on Jan. 30,1989.
References
[edit]- ^ "Obituary: Klaus Goldschlag". Ottawa Citizen.
- ^ "Collections Search - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum". collections.ushmm.org. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
- ^ a b Eulenspiegel-Jahrbuch (in German). Freundeskreis Till Eulenspiegel. 2007.
- ^ "LIVES: Klaus Goldschlag *49". Princeton Alumni Weekly. 2016-01-21. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
- ^ "Antisemitism in Britain" (PDF). ajr.org.uk. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
- ^ a b The Reform Advocate. 1937.
- ^ "The Bulletin, May 6/96 Campaign Corner". University of Toronto.
- ^ "Heads of Post List". Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
- ^ "Outstanding Achievement Award - Previous Award Recipients". Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada. Archived from the original on 2005-11-22.
- ^ Order of Canada citation
External links
[edit]- Diplomat Klaus Goldschlag overcame tremendous obstacles Globe and Mail obituary by Sandra Martin, 14 May 2012
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