Vera K. Holocaust testimony

Videotape testimony of Vera K., a twin, who was born in Tornala, Czechoslovakia. She recalls their affluence; hiding with non-Jews and in the forest for two years following the German occupation; arrest and incarceration in Sered ?in 1943 with her parents and sister; transport to Birkenau; separation from her parents (she never saw her father again); selection for twin experiments by Josef Mengele; frequently seeking and finding her mother; witnessing women giving birth and the immediate murder of the babies; living in the Czech family camp, women's camp, Zigeunerlager (Gypsy Lager), and the camp for human medical subjects; sharing food with her sister; and escaping a mass shooting by hiding under corpses. Mrs. K. describes fleeing with her mother and sister during the evacuation of Birkenau; returning to Birkenau; a mass shooting; disappearance of the Germans; walking to Auschwitz; a male prisoner who cared for them (he later became her stepfather); moving to Stropkov; recuperating in an Irish sanitorium; attending school in London; and emigration to Israel in 1953. She discusses her state of mind in Birkenau; the importance of being with her sister and mother; and the impact of these experiences on her and her sister's lives including nightmares and depression.

3 videocassettes