Governor Phil Murphy • Lt. Governor Tahesha Way

Eric and Gretel

Eric Seelig was born in 1909 in Bromberg, Germany. He was a talented middleweight and lightweight boxing champion who was stripped of his titles and forced to leave his country because he was Jewish. Eric eventually made his way to the United States and continued his boxing career training young boxers, nine of which became Golden Gloves champions, in a small boxing school in Atlantic City, New Jersey. His story is not well documented, there is not a trail of his journey from Germany to the United States. However, he made big strides in New Jersey and in September 2024, he was inducted into the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame.

Objectives

Gretel Bergman’s story has been adapted by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum into a Behind Every Name Animated Video. Gretel was an Olympic hopeful in women’s high jump that was blocked by the Nazis from competing in the 1936 Olympic Games representing Germany. This series from USHMM makes it possible that Gretel’s legacy is continued through a teaching resource that is accessible to students and teachers. Unfortunately, Eric Seelig’s athletic legacy is not a video in the animated series, but that does not mean his story cannot continue on. After this activity, students will be able to:

  1. Understand the history of Jewish athletes in Nazi Germany, specifically before the 1936 Olympic Games.
  2. Implement their understanding of the context and Eric Seelig’s story into an animation depicting his story.
  3. Present their depiction to the class drawing comparisons to Gretel Bergman’s story and animation.

  1. Note that Eric Seelig’s wife Greta is not Gretel Bergman, however she was also an athlete in Germany before the war. She has a similar story to Eric so the students can use her story and create the animation for her if they feel more connected to her. 
  2. The students can review Eric Seelig’s information in jigsaw if it works for the class and they can explore Greta’s testimony in clips rather than the whole testimony if time does not allow for the whole thing.
  3. Canva is an excellent tool for teachers and it is free for educators and nonprofits. The cartoon creation tool is user friendly and comes with an excellent guide on how to use different features. 
  4. Ensure that the image and verbage is appropriate and respectful for the topic of the cartoon. These animations can be shared to the class or to other classes in a walking exhibit or digital tour.