Bella S. Holocaust testimony

Videotape testimony of Bella S., who was born in Gross-Zimmern, near Darmstadt, in 1904. She recounts her upbringing in a religious, patriotic family (her youngest brother was killed in World War I); limited antisemitism ("it was a normal part of life"); the shock of her father's accidental death in 1917; and her marriage and move to Frankfurt in 1926. Mrs. S. describes deciding to place their daughter with non-Jews in Brussels; their failed attempts to leave for the United States in 1937-1938; her husband's emigration to the United States; her difficult life alone in Frankfurt; deportation in 1942 to Ereda, Estonia; work in a shipyard and as a camp cook; and learning that her daughter was safe in Belgium. She recalls her transfer in 1943 to Goldfilz; cutting timber; building POW camps; being shot while foraging for food; and transport in late 1944 to Bromberg via Ri?ga and Stutthof. Mrs. S. tells of her escape during a forced march in January 1945; her arduous journey across Soviet-occupied Germany; aid she received from non-Jews; the reunion with her daughter in Belgium; difficulties with relief organizations; and her emigration to the United States in 1946.

3 videocassettes (3/4" u-matic)