This biographical essay presents the first installment of a comprehensive portrait of Fritz Alexander Rothschild (1919-2009), the Joseph J. and Dora Abbell Professor of Philosophy at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Based on extensive oral history interviews conducted between 2001-2008, this study examines Rothschild's formative years in Germany from birth through his escape in 1939. The methodology employs qualitative biographical analysis through recorded testimonies and historical documentation. Born in Bad Homburg to a moderately observant Jewish family, Rothschild's intellectual and religious development was profoundly shaped by Rabbi Dr. Leopold Wreschner and his early exposure to Hebrew texts and Zionist ideology. The narrative traces his educational trajectory, interrupted by Nazi persecution that forced him to leave school at fifteen, and his subsequent apprenticeship in Hebrew typesetting at a Frankfurt publishing house. Key findings reveal how antisemitic persecution catalyzed Rothschild's deepening Jewish commitment and Zionist convictions, while his brief encounter with Abraham Heschel in Frankfurt presaged their later scholarly relationship. The study documents Rothschild's arrest during Kristallnacht, his six-week imprisonment at Buchenwald where he witnessed his uncle's death, and his eventual release through his mother's courageous intervention with Nazi officials. This biographical analysis contributes to understanding how Holocaust experiences shaped subsequent Jewish intellectual leadership, demonstrating the continuity between pre-war German Jewish scholarship and post-war American Jewish thought.