Gertrúda W. Holocaust testimony

Videotape testimony of Gertrúda W., who was born in Český Těšín, Austro-Hungarian Monarchy (presently Czech Republic) in 1913. She recalls her family's move to Vsetín; working in Kroměříž beginning in 1921; moving to Trenčin after three years; meeting her future husband; moving to Piešt̕any; Slovak autonomy in 1939; implementation of anti-Jewish laws; marriage in 1940; her husband's exemption from deportation which included her; her daughter's birth in 1943; her husband's arrest and deportation to Auschwitz in 1944 (he did not survive); hiding in Trnava with her sister who was married to a non-Jew; returning home after the war; learning her house had been confiscated; remarriage; the births of two more children; her second husband's death; difficulty supporting her family; and sharing her story with her children. Ms. W. notes her son and grandson are named for her late husband; anger that a respected historian benefited from confiscation of her property; and fear and mistrust resulting from her experiences.

1 videocassette