Hanna Maron

(22 November 1923 – 30 May 2014)

Black and white photograph taken in a hospital room. The picture shows a close-up of a woman with short hair in her 40s, dressed in a white nightgown with a lace collar. She is the actress Hanna Maron. She is sitting in a hospital bed with her upper body propped up on pillows, holding a cuddly toy in both hands and pressing it against her cheek. A little exhausted, she smiles at the camera. The pull-out tray of a bedside table can be seen in the background.
After the terrorist attack: Hanna Maron in a hospital bed at Hospital rechts der Isar, Munich, 1970, © Private collection
Black and white picture with a boy and a girl in the centre. The picture was taken in an interior, probably a living room. In the background on the wall are a floral armchair and a cupboard. Both children are sitting on a metal, steerable handcart. The boy is sitting in the cart, his hair is parted to the side, he is dressed in a black jumper, shorts and knee-high socks. The girl has shoulder-length hair, also parted and pinned to one side with a hair clip. She is wearing a white blouse with a narrow long scarf, a pleated skirt, knee-high socks and black patent leather shoes. She is sitting at the front of the carriage, her hands resting on her knees. The children's gaze is directed sideways towards an object or person outside the frame.
Hanna Meierzak (later Maron) with Hans-Joachim Schaufuß performing in ‘Dot and Anton’ at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin, 1931, © ullstein bild – Rene Fosshag

“I’m an actress”, Hanna Maron said after being seriously injured on 10 February 1970 just before she lost consciousness.

For Hanna Maron, the Munich-Riem terrorist attack changed her life completely. She spent several months in a hospital in Munich fighting for her life; her left leg had to be amputated. Psychologically traumatised, the actress nevertheless celebrated her survival every year on 10 February. In 1971, she was already back on stage and, for the rest of her life, campaigned against all forms of violence.

Born Hanna Meierzak in Berlin in 1923, she began her successful career in theatre, film and radio at the age of five. In 1931, she played Dot based on the classic children’s book “Dot and Anton” by Erich Kästner at the Deutsches Theater Berlin; that same year she was to be seen in the opening scene of Fritz Lang’s film “M”.

The child star’s success in Germany came to an abrupt end following the Nazis’ seizure of power when the Jewish family had to flee. After two years in Paris, Hanna Meierzak and her mother met up with her father once again in Tel Aviv in 1935 where they endeavoured to start a new life. At the age of 17, Hanna Meierzak attended the school of drama at the traditional Habima Theatre in Tel Aviv. In 1942, she volunteered for the British army and joined the Jewish Brigade formed there in 1944. As a member of the Hebrew-speaking ensemble Me’eyn ze, she performed for the soldiers. After the end of World War II, she was a permanent member of the Cameri Theatre ensemble in Tel Aviv, one of Israel’s most important theatres, for 35 years. 

Black and white photograph of a woman. The woman has short dark hair, her eyes are heavily accentuated with black kohl and she is wearing a dress with a low neckline. She is the actress Hanna Maron. She is resting her head on one hand and holding her heart with the other.
Hanna Maron in the role of Beatrice at a performance of Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, Cameri Theater, Tel Aviv, 1963, © Cameri Theatre Archive / Photos by Srulik Haramaty, Photos.Haramaty.com
Photograph of a group of three people, one man and two women, at an official event. The group is standing in front of a curtain, the national emblem of the State of Israel can be seen in the background. The man standing in the centre is former Israeli President Shimon Peres. On one side he is flanked by a lady with short hair and in a yellow dress, the actress Hanna Maron. On the other side is a lady in a red suit holding a book about the Cameri Theatre.
The actresses Hanna Maron (left) and Orna Porat with President Shimon Peres at a ceremony for the presentation of the second volume about the Cameri Theater 2008, © Cameri Theatre Archive / Photo: Elitzur Reuveni

In 1973, Hanna Maron was honoured with the prestigious Israel Prize, the highest culture award of the State of Israel. She was also a prominent voice promoting a peaceful, non-violent Jewish-Arab coexistence and took a public stand on many social issues such as women’s rights and conscientious objection to military service. In 1995, she was a guest of honour at the signing of the Oslo II Peace Accord between the State of Israel and the “Palestine Liberation Organisation” (PLO) in Washington D.C. She received an honorary doctorate from Ben Gurion University in Munich’s Israeli twin city Beer Sheva in 2007.

Hanna Maron died in Tel Aviv on 30 May 2014. Through the way she dealt with her physical limitations, she encouraged many to maintain their zest for life. Her daughter Ofra Rechter talked about her in a video interview.

Ofra Rechter on her mother Hanna Maron

Image gallery Hanna Maron

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