Fabian Gerson memoirs

Identifier
irn36154
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2008.258.1
Dates
1 Jan 2008 - 31 Dec 2008
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • English
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

folder

1

Archival History

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Fabian Gerson

Fabian Gerson donated these memoirs to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on August 18, 2008.

Scope and Content

Consists of the memoirs of Professor Fabian Gerson, originally of Łódź, Poland. The memoirs are written in two parts. In part I, titled "The Road to Annihilation," 13 pages, Professor Gerson describes his childhood in Łódź, pre-war antisemitism, and the German invasion. In December 1939, Fabian's mother, Dora (neé Kon) and sister Franciszka moved to Czestochowa; Fabian and his father, Pinkus, escaped the ghetto to join them in October 1940. On September 22, 1942, Fabian was separated from his family during the liquidation of Czestochowa and taken to forced labor at an armament plant owned by the HASAG company on the outskirts of Czestochowa. In January 1945, he was deported to Buchenwald, where he was liberated by the American Army in April 1945. His family perished in Treblinka. In part II, titled "The Difficult Life Afterwards," 12 pages, Professor Gerson describes his health problems after liberation, which led to time in the Davos sanatorium. After a brief period of schooling, he fell ill again, and was sent to the Etanai and Leysin sanatoriums. He obtained a doctorate in chemistry and became a naturalized Swiss citizen.

Conditions Governing Reproduction

Copyright Holder: Professor Fabian Gerson

Subjects

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.