William K. Holocaust testimony

Videotape testimony of William K., who was born in Tarno?w, Poland, in 1922. Mr. K. recalls his youth; his father, an "ultrareligious" Talmud scholar; his mother's modest businesses which supported them; escaping domestic unhappiness in school; and prewar anti-Semitic experiences. He tells of German occupation; anti-Semitic restrictions and looting; ghettoization; being beaten publicly; the first Aktion when his father and 12,000 others were killed in June 1942; his mother's death from a heart attack; forced labor; his sister's selection in the second Aktion; his refusal to reveal the locations of hiding Jews; deportation with his brothers to P?aszo?w; and transfer to Mauthausen in August 1944. He describes transport to St. Valentin in September 1944 and Ebensee in April 1945; liberation; returning to Poland with his brothers; anti-Semitic incidents; fleeing from Wroc?aw to Munich; emigrating to America in 1947; marrying in 1949; and establishing a successful business. He reflects on his loss of belief while in the camps; a recurring dream; inability to feel joy; disappointment at his children's lack of Jewish identity and interest in the Holocaust; inability to discuss his experience with his brothers; and becoming an activist in Holocaust education programs.

2 videocassettes (3/4" u-matic)