Martin W. Holocaust testimony

Identifier
HVT 2029
Language of Description
English
Level of Description
Collection
Source
EHRI Partner

Abstract

Videotape testimony of Martin W., who was born in ?o?dz?, Poland in 1929. He recalls antisemitic harassment on the street; German invasion; his father protecting his German business partner from Polish violence; betrayal by the partner resulting in expulsion from their home; ghettoization; smuggling food; hospitalization of his father, mother, and sister; their deaths; living with an uncle; the deaths of his other two sisters; deportation to Auschwitz in August 1944; staying with his uncle; joining a group with two friends that left Auschwitz under cover of Allied bombing; transfer to Friedland; escaping with a friend on May 7; liberation by Soviet troops; traveling to Plzen?; friendship with United States soldiers; employment by the U.S. military; living in Regensburg, then a displaced persons camp in Munich; emigrating to the United States in 1946; assistance from UNRRA; living in an orphanage; and leaving after receiving support from American relatives. Mr. W. discusses the difficulty of burying his parents and sisters; loneliness upon arrival in the U.S.; enduring friendships with fellow refugees; sharing some of his experiences with some of his children, while not speaking of others because they are too painful; and amplification of this pain as he ages.

Extent and Medium

3 videocassettes

Conditions Governing Access

This testimony is open with permission.

Conditions Governing Reproduction

Copyright has been transferred to the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies. Use of this testimony requires permission of the Fortunoff Video Archive.

Rules and Conventions

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Process Info

  • compiled by Staff of the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies

People

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Places

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.