The merchant Isfried found a home and a sense of belonging in football.
Born on 18 February 1907 in Fulda.
His father, Aron Goldschmidt, traded in cattle and horses and regularly sold them at the cattle market on Heinrich-von-Bibra-Platz. Isfried Goldschmidt actively helped him there and later pursued a career as a merchant himself.
Sporting Resistance
His great passion was soccer. After all Jews were expelled from German sports clubs in 1933, the Jewish gymnastics and sports club Bar Kochba was founded in Fulda on January 21, 1934.
Isfried was among the first 42 members and played with the team in the league of the German Maccabi District.
Addresses in Fulda:
Kapuzinerstr. 4
New Beginning in the USA
In the same year, Isfried received a visa for the USA. On October 10, 1934, he fled Hamburg for New York on the Washington. He became an American citizen on July 6, 1935. In the US, he adopted the name Fred Goldsmith, lived in Portland, and worked for the soap company “Mt. Hood Soap.” As a US citizen, he was able to sponsor his parents, enabling them to flee to the US with his support in 1938.
Isfried Goldschmidt died on February 12, 1972.
Isfried in the Bar Kochba Fulda kit, 1934
All depictions shown here have been reconstructed using artificial intelligence, based on the original photograph shown alongside.Caught between tradition and change – a life of new beginnings
Isfried Goldschmidt was born on 18 February 1907 in Fulda. Even as a boy, he regularly helped his father Aron, a cattle and horse dealer, at the livestock market on what is now Heinrich-von-Bibra-Platz. After completing an apprenticeship at Nussbaum & Co., a company in the leather and shoe machinery sector in Fulda, Isfried set up his own business in 1931, specialising in the wholesale of leather and machinery.
Bar Kochba Fulda in the Makkabi League
Alongside his professional life, Isfried was a passionate footballer. He played for the Jewish sports club Bar Kochba Fulda, which was founded in 1934 after Jewish athletes had been excluded from mainstream clubs. This exclusion was part of the systematic discrimination in Nazi Germany. Bar Kochba Fulda was more than just a sports club – it was a symbol of resistance and solidarity within the Jewish community. The club played in the Makkabiliga Südwest, a regional Jewish football league that offered Jewish teams a platform to compete and experience a sense of community. The Makkabi League was part of a wider movement of Jewish sports clubs in Germany, which saw a surge in membership following their exclusion from mainstream sports associations, thereby enabling Jewish athletes to continue to participate and maintain their identity.
Bar Kochba football team – Isfried in the second row, centre, 1934
A well-known photograph shows Isfried after his final match in Fulda, the day before he emigrated to the USA – a poignant moment that symbolises both farewell and hope.
Bar Kochba with fans – Isfried in the third row, third from the left, 1934
Isfried’s passport, issued in 1934
Fleeing to the USA and starting a new life
On 7 October 1934, Isfried left his hometown and travelled via the Port of Hamburg on the *Washington* to New York. From there, his journey took him through the Panama Canal to Portland, Oregon. Initially, he worked as a sales representative for a soap company, but from 1944 onwards he returned to his roots and resumed his work as a cattle dealer.
The ship ‘Washington’ on the Hamburg–New York route, 1930s
Thanks to his American citizenship, Isfried was able to obtain the necessary exit documents for his parents in 1938, thereby enabling them to flee Germany – a life-saving act of support at a time of great danger.
Isfried Goldschmidt represents the many people who, in difficult times, were forced to leave their homeland to build a new life – yet never forgot their family roots or their responsibility towards their family. His dedication to sport and his care for his family are a testament to courage, solidarity and hope.