Background
He lived in a house built by his father in 1900 on the site where in 1830 his grandfather built the first house owned by a Jew outside the Jewish quarter.
He lived in a house built by his father in 1900 on the site where in 1830 his grandfather built the first house owned by a Jew outside the Jewish quarter.
Epstein was Jewish, and born to Maximilian and Helena Epstein. He grew in Roudnice nad Labem on the bank of the Elbe River, 22 miles north of Prague, in what was then the Austro-Hungarian province of Bohemia. In high school, he became a competitive rower and swimmer.
He also became a swimming coach.
In 1924, he joined the Czechoslovak Army, was picked for reserve officers school, and became a second lieutenant. The Czechoslovak National Swim Club asked that he be furloughed to compete for them.
Epstein represented Czechoslovakia in water polo in the 1928 Summer Olympics and the 1936 Summer Olympics. His team finished tied for ninth in each Olympics.
After the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1938, he was incarcerated in Nazi concentration camps, at Theresienstadt concentration camp, Auschwitz concentration camp, and a labor camp at Frydlant.
After the Communists took over in 1948, he emigrated to the United States. In New York City, in 1948 the New York Athletic Club permitted Kurt to observe one of their water polo matches, but clarified that inasmuch as they did not accept Jews as members, he would not be hired as a coach. After a decade of being unable to find steady employment, he ultimately became a cutter in a clothing factory of Star Children"s Wear in the Garment District.
All of the other members of his family were killed as a result of being gassed by the Nazis. He returned to Prague after World World War II, and was elected a member of the Czechoslovak Olympic Committee.