Hans Oscar SIMON

Dr H O Simon, President and Chairman of the “Independent Cultural Association”
Before escaping to South Africa he was a SPORT publisher in Germany.
Three of his works are available in the Deutschen Digitalen Bibliothek

Printed by the Commercial Printing Co (Pty) Ltd New Era Building, Corner DeVilliers and Loveday Streets, Johannesburg for the Publishers, Presto Advertising, 48 Walter Wise’sBuilding, 50 Joubert Street

Dr. Simon whose name was indeed Hans Oskar, was never referred to as Hans, he was too aloof for that, it always was and remained Dr. Simon for everyone. "Hans" was the editor of the Blätter, namely Hans Leopold Weiss, whom I later married (up to 1933 he had worked in the political dept. of the renowned Berliner Tageblatt under the equally renowned Theodor Wolff and from the early 50s till mid 60s reported from SA for the new German media).

Dr. Simon's family was an eliteaffluent Bonn family of Jewish/Christian parentage, no idea which parent was which, one didn't ask Dr. S. such intimate questions. He studied law and a far as I know didn't practice as a lawyer but worked in Pforzheim for the Jewellery Industry. I dont think he was a publisher, he was a keen and outstanding tennis player and wrote about the sport. Dr. S. was an impressive personality, immensely intelligent and learned with a great sense of humour. He never married, had no close friends but close associates such as Hans Weiss who were two of the founding members of the UKV in the 30s. He was the unofficial spokesperson for the German immigrants and was able to convince the government not to intern German Jews, as happened in Britain. As a result immigrants were given the special status as "friendly enemy aliens". He also ran a Refugee Advice Centre (where I later helped with the office work), hence his activities re Our Parents Home. He made contact with internees who were not Nazis (the S Africans had to separate the German internees into Nazis and nonNazis after some murders had happened in the camp. As a result we were in touch with the Nerother Wandervögel group led by Karl and Robert Ölbermann - Karl had escaped with the group of boys from Cologne after they had refused to join the HJ and had been beaten up by HJ youths, his brother and one boy aged 16 were taken to Dachau, where he was subsequently killed. We collected German books for the group, (fortunately for them, a number of visiting professors had been interned when war broke out and had started a school for them in the camp, so that they were able to study and pass their Abitur, later verified by German authorities).

Dr. S. had a few close associates such as Hans Weiss with whom he founded Selected Books (where I worked from its first to last day during its four exciting years., its customers - who included Sir Ernest Oppenheimer - came not only to buy books but to talk with both Dr. S and Hans). He lived close to the former Wolmarans Synagogue, as did Hans and Margot Weiss in a building nearby. Sadly, Margot and I found his body in his flat - Dr. S., Margot had regularly sent him food through her maid and when one day he hadn't answered the doorbell, we entered the flat and found him. We had great difficulties ascertaining his next of kin (his brother). He had directed that all his papers were to be destroyed, but some concerning the UKV were preserved and as far as I know were later looked after by Franz Auerbach.

Union

Record Type: Publication
Uniform Title: Union (Johannesburg, South Africa)
Published: Johannesburg : Jewish Immigrants' Help, 1939-
Language: German
Locale: Johannesburg (South Africa)
Format: Serial
Physical Description: v.
Call Number: LM0480 1939-1948
Subjects: Johannesburg (South Africa)--Periodicals
Notes: "Blätter der Emigration."
Numbering designation changes to vols. in 1946.
Reproduction Notes: Microfilm. 1. Jg., No. 1 (27. Okt. 1939)- v. 10, no. 9 (Sept. 1948). Bonn : Mikropress, 1967. 1 microfilm reel ; 35 mm. (Anti-nationalsozialistische deutsche Exilliteratur, 1933-1945)
Library Location: Library Microforms
Library Location Note: Filed by number. Ask at Reference Desk for assistance.
Description: 1. Jg., No. 1 (27. Okt. 1939)-Ceased 1967?
Availability Ask at Reference Desk
Record last modified: 2011-11-02 12:53:00
https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/bib222459

According to the reference to his Estate File in the Pretoria Archives H O Simon died unmarried.
DEPOT     TAB
SOURCE    MHG
TYPE      LEER
SYSTEM    01
REFERENCE 5850/61
PART      1
DESCRIPTION          SIMON, HANS OSCAR.
STARTING 19610000
ENDING    19610000
REMARKS   UNMARRIED.

https://www.historicalpapers.wits.ac.za/inventories/inv_pdfo/AD1715/AD1715-35-3-1-001-jpeg.pdf