Henry S. Holocaust testimony

Identifier
HVT 3380
Language of Description
English
Level of Description
Collection
Source
EHRI Partner

Abstract

Videotape testimony of Henry S., who was born in Kraków, Poland in 1923. He recalls attending private school; summer vacations in the mountains; German invasion; the family's flight to Mielec; returning to Kraków; anti-Jewish measures; their move to Kalwaria; volunteering for a labor camp in his brother's place; escaping in 1940; riding to Kalwaria with a Polish driver; fleeing to the Kraków ghetto in order not to endanger his family; transfer to Płaszów; witnessing brutal killings by Amon Goeth; public executions; a futile attempt to be placed on Oskar Schindler's list; transport to Auschwitz in 1942; slave labor; leaving food for a girl he knew in the medical experimentation barrack; a death march in 1944 to Gross-Rosen; transfer to Dachau; and liberation from cattle cars by United States troops in April 1945. Mr. S. recounts recovering in Seeshaupt, then in Feldafing; working as a translator for Generals George Patton and Dwight Eisenhower (he shows photographs); living in Munich; and emigration to the United States in 1947. He discusses the importance of friendship to his survival; ongoing nightmares; trips to Poland; and sharing his experiences with his children.

Extent and Medium

2 videocassettes (betacam sp)

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

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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.