Aron Goldfinger collection

Aron Goldfinger (1899-1969) was born in Lelow, Poland on December 5, 1899 to Icek and Frajdla Goldfinger. Aron worked as a tailor and lived in Zawiercie. His wife, Chana Goldfinger and their four children were deported to Auschwitz concentration camp and murdered there upon arrival. Aron was arrested in November 1939 and imprisoned in a slave labor camp in Auroda Kreis Grotkau and after a few months he was transferred to Dorflitz slave labor camp. During the period between January 1942 till July 1943 Aron was transferred to ten different camps (Neudorf, Weidbruecken, Hubertuschute, Falvahutte, Siemanovitz, Grossaurnau, Geppeladorf, Gross Rosen, Buchenwald and Kleinmangelsdorf.) In July 1943 Aron was transferred again, this time to Blechhammer, where he worked in the I.G. Farben concern. He was tattooed with a number 177369. On January 21, 1945, Aron was forced on a death march to Buchenwald concentration camp. He was liberated by the United States Army in April 1945. Aron lost all his teeth and his weight was down to 30 kilogram. He returned to Zawiercie, but after finding out that all the members of his family were murdered, he moved to Sosnowiec. Aron married a fellow survivor form Zawiercie, Ruchla Owieczka, and their daughter Bela was born there. Ruchla had been imprisoned for five years in Theresienstadt. Aron applied for reparations from various German industrial concerns, but without any result. He died in Sosnowiec in September 1969. Ruchla Goldfinger and her two children: Marek and Bella Goldfinger left Poland in 1972 and settled in Copenhagen, Denmark. Ruchla Owieczka Goldfinger died in Copenhagen in October 1992. Dr. Bela Goldfinger-Bilet resides in Copenhagen, Denmark.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Funding Note: The cataloging of this collection has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

Dr. Bela B. Goldfinger donated the Aron Goldfinger collection to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2001.