Philip D. Vock papers
Extent and Medium
folders
oversize folder
book enclosure
4
1
1
Creator(s)
- Philip D. Vock
Biographical History
Philip D. Vock (b. Philippe David Vovk 1929-2006) was born in Paris, France to Marguerite Vovk (née Karyo, later Vock) and had a sister, Dora Esther Vovk (later Assael b. 1931) and a brother, Robert Vovk (later Vock b. 1933). In 1941 they traveled to Issoudun, France before moving to Bagnères-de-Luchon where they attempted to cross into Spain. When they were unsuccessfully, Marguerite and the children sought refuge in Nice, France. In 1943 they were arrested after their landlord turned them in for a reward and were deported and imprisoned in Drancy. In January 1944 Philip was transported to Auschwitz. In 1945 he was sent on a death march and transported to Buchenwald until liberation in April 1945. Following liberation, Philip lived in Pyrenees, France and was forcibly drafted into the French Air Force. He immigrated to the United States in 1951 and became a citizen after serving in the US army overseas in Germany and France.
Archival History
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Philip Vock. In memory of the 231 Russian Army soldiers who gave their lives fighting around Auschwitz to liberate it.
Funding Note: The accessibility of this collection was made possible by the generous donors to our crowdfunded Save Their Stories campaign.
Philip Vock donated the Philip D. Vock papers to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1997 and 1998. The accessions previously numbered 1997.11, 1998.13, 1997.100, and 1997.A.0320 have been incorporated into this collection.
Scope and Content
The Philip D. Vock papers consist of biographical material, a journal, and photographs relating to Philip Vock’s wartime experiences hiding in France, as a prisoner in Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps, as well as his post-war experiences in France and the United States. The collection also includes certificates and membership cards for Marguerite Vock, Philip’s mother, Leon Leonoff, Philip’s uncle, and Estreia Leonoff, Philip’s aunt. Biographical material for Philip Vock include a certificate ("Certificat de Bonne Conduite") issued by the French Air Force, a membership card issued by the National Union of the Association of Deportees, Internees, and Lost Family, a certificate issued to Philip on the 30th anniversary of camp liberation by the Scretariat d'Etat aux Anciens Combattants, and a copy of a one page memoir outlining Philip experiences. Biographical material for Marguerite Vock include a certificate of safe passage, a certificate issued to Marguerite on the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camps, and a membership card issued by the National Union of Deportees, Internees, and Victims of War. This series also includes a membership card for the Association of Internees and Political Deportees and the National Federation of Internees and Deportees issued to Léon Leonoff, and a membership card for the French Union of Deportees, Internees, and War Victims issued to Estreia Leonoff. The journal was written by Philip Vock in 1945 while in France immediately following his liberation. In his writings he describes his time hiding in France, conditions in Auschwitz and Buchenwald, death marches, and liberation. Photographs include images taken at Auschwitz depicting views of the camp after liberation.
System of Arrangement
The Philip D. Vock papers are arranged as a single series.
Conditions Governing Reproduction
Copyright Holder: Mr. Philip D. Vock
People
- Vock, Philip.
- Vock, Marguerite.
- Leonoff, Estria.
- Leonoff, Léon.
Corporate Bodies
- Auschwitz (Concentration camp)
- Buchenwald (Concentration camp)
- Drancy (Internament camp)
Subjects
- France.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Germany--Personal narratives.
- World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Liberation.
- World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Germany.
Genre
- Document
- Personal narratives.
- Photographs.
- Diaries.