Paul Balzereit

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Paul Johannes Gerhard Balzereit , pseudonyms Paul Gehrhard and PBGotthilf (born November 2, 1885 in Kiel ; † July 6, 1959 in Magdeburg ) was a German publicist and, as a "branch servant" (country manager) of the Watchtower Society, an important figure in the course of the dispute Jehovah's Witnesses with National Socialism .

Born in 1885, Balzereit attended elementary school and completed a commercial apprenticeship. After several years working in this profession, he joined Jehovah's Witnesses . As early as 1916, temporarily editor of the watchtower , until 1923 he became responsible for the newly founded Golden Age , the German edition of the American witness publication The Golden Age . In 1925 he was charged with an anti-church pamphlet, but acquitted in the subsequent process. Even after the religious community was banned in 1933, Balzereit was initially allowed to continue publishing operations, albeit with restrictions. He campaigned for the ban on Jehovah's Witnesses to be lifted, but was increasingly criticized for his line that was too willing to compromise. On May 10, 1935, Balzereit was arrested and interned in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp . 1936 Balzereit was the Jehovah's Witnesses deprived community . Balzereit, for his part, kept his distance from Jehovah's Witnesses during his imprisonment. After the war he acted as head of the Association of Freestanding Christians , which, with the support of the Stasi, agitated against the GDR 's Jehovah's Witnesses .

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personal data
SURNAME Courtship, Paul
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Balzereit, Paul Johannes Gerhard (full name); Gehrhard, Paul; PB Gotthilf, Paul
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German writer and publicist
DATE OF BIRTH November 2, 1885
PLACE OF BIRTH Kiel
DATE OF DEATH July 6, 1959
Place of death Magdeburg