Bernhard Weiss

German-Jewish lawyer and Vice President of the Berlin police during the Weimar Republic. A member of the liberal Deutsche Demokratische Partei, Weiß was known as a key player in the political tensions during the Weimar Republic and a staunch defender of parliamentary democracy against extremists on the left and right. While in office, Weiss was the target of a constant campaign of vilification organized by Joseph Goebbels, then a prominent Nazi activist, later the Reich Minister of Propaganda. Goebbels nicknamed Weiss “Isidore” and the Weimar Republic as “The Jew's Republic”. Weiss sued Goebbels for libel and won his case. Goebbels did not refrain and Weiss was not intimidated so in the end Weiss sued Goebbels over 40 times. Weiss finally decided to flee Germany just a few days before Adolf Hitler was made Chancellor. Weiss's police force was ordered to arrest their former Deputy Chief and Hermann Göring offered to pay a reward for anyone who assisted in his capture. The forces came looking for Weiss while he and his daughter Hilda were at his brothers/sisters. They had to bury Weiss in the basement under the coal stack to prevent the forces from discovering him, they attempted to take Hilda but her Uncle and Aunty claimed she was their daughter and the forces left. A friend came to Weiss's assistance and drove him out of the country to Czechoslovakia. Weiss then went to the United Kingdom where he opened a printing and stationery business and lived out the remainder of his life. After his escape, Weiss was subsequently deprived of his German citizenship. On 29 July 1951, shortly before becoming a German citizen again, he died of cancer in London. Link to Wikipedia biography