Henri B. Holocaust testimony

Identifier
HVT 2154
Language of Description
English
Level of Description
Collection
Source
EHRI Partner

Abstract

Videotape testimony of Henri B., who was born in Paris, France in 1927, one of nine children. He recalls their evacuation to Maine-et-Loire in August 1939; their conversion to Catholicism; his strong Catholic faith; arrest with his mother and older siblings on July 15, 1942; internment in Angers; his mother's release and father's arrival; deportation to Auschwitz/Birkenau with his father and brother; assignment to the masonry school; slave labor doing construction; learning his father and brother had been killed; remaining with French friends; hiding injuries during selections; transport to Oranienburg, Sachsenhausen, then Ohrdruf; once bringing corpses to Buchenwald; sharing extra food with his friends; escaping with assistance from a Hungarian guard, French POW, and German butcher; liberation by United States troops in April 1945; transfer to Eisenbach; repatriation with POWs; reunion with his family in Paris; their reluctance to ask him about his experiences; recovering from tuberculosis; attending medical school; a daughter's birth; marriage; and his other daughters' births. Mr. B. discusses camp life including intergroup relations and friends who aided his survival; losing his belief in Catholicism and identifying himself as a Jew after returning; sharing his experiences with his daughters; reluctance to share memories of suffering with non-survivors; and showing Ohrdruf to Generals Patton and Bradley.

Extent and Medium

5 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.

Related Units of Description

  • Associated material : Odette B. Holocaust testimony [sister] (HVT-2841), Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.

Rules and Conventions

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Process Info

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

People

Corporate Bodies

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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.