OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
LORI E. LIGHTFOOT MAYOR
July 21,2021
TO THE HONORABLE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Ladies and Gentlemen:
1 transmit herewith, together with Aldermen Silverstein, O'Shea, Dowell, Villegas, Thompson, Hadden, Tunney, Smith, Cappleman, Vasquez, Reboyras, Nugent, Austin, Rodriguez, Reilly, Osterman, Mitts, Martin, Burke, Rosa, Lopez and Garza, a memorial resolution honoring Frieda Fritzshall.
Your favorable consideration of this resolution will be appreciated.
Very truly yours
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Members of this Chamber were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Frieda "Fritzie" Fritzshall, Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center President and Auschwitz survivor, at age 91; and
WHEREAS, Fritzie was born on August 27, 1929, in Klucarky, Czechoslovakia and was forced with her family into a ghetto in 1944 when German Nazis invaded her town. Fritzie's family was later deported to Auschwitz, a Nazi death camp, where her mother and two brothers were murdered. To survive at Auschwitz, Fritzie pretended to be older than she was and worked as a slave laborer. While on a forced march evacuation from the death camp, Fritzie escaped into a forest and was liberated by Russian troops; and
WHEREAS, In 1946, Fritzie emigrated to the United States and settled in Skokie, Illinois where she was reunited with her father, who had come to the United States prior to the Holocaust; and
WHEREAS, Fritzie became a hairdresser and married her husband, Norman Fritzshall, a World War II veteran who had been a prisoner of war in the Pacific, with whom'she had a son, Steven; and
WHEREAS, Fritzie's call to activism began in the late 1970s when neo-Nazis threatened to march through the streets of Skokie. Among her many accomplishments, Fritzie helped establish the Holocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois and assisted with efforts to create the Holocaust Education Mandate, the first of its kind in the nation, a law which requires all Illinois school children to be taught about the Holocaust; and
WHEREAS, Inspired to serve, Fritzie was the President of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center from 2010 up until her death. Under her leadership, the Museum grew to educate more than 285,000 individuals annually; and
WHEREAS, Fritzie made the courageous decision to talk about her own experiences in the Holocaust, so that generations to come would not forget what happened. In July of 2019, she and Cardinal Blase Cupich traveled to Auschwitz to educate people about what happened in the Holocaust and, after their return to Chicago, the pair visited with groups to have discussions about hate; and
WHEREAS, Fritzie, a true humanitarian and hero who tirelessly advocated against hatred and anti-Semitism, enriched the lives of countless people who knew her, and who benefited from her courage, spirit, strength and wisdom; and
WHEREAS, Fritzie is survived by her son, Steven; a daughter-in-law, Hinda; grandsons, Scott and Andy; and many other family members and friends; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this twenty-first day of July, 2021, do hereby extend our most sincere condolences to Fritzie's family, friends, and all those that knew her; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the family of Frieda "Fritzie" Fritzshall as a sign of our honor, gratitude, and respect.