Jan B. Holocaust testimony
Abstract
Videotape testimony of Jan B., a Catholic Romani, who was born in Sásová, Czechoslovakia (presently Slovakia) in 1924, one of twelve children. He recounts his family's poverty; attending school; a local priest and teacher taking an interest in him; continuing school in Banská Bystrica; persecution of Romanies after the formation of the Slovak state; forced labor with his father building roads under harsh conditions; threat of deportation by the Hlinka guard; commiserating with the Jews; observing their deportations; his family hiding a Jewish girl; her discovery; joining the partisans; blowing up railroads in many locations; equal treatment of him and other Romanies in the partisans; receiving food from local Romanies; liberation eight months after joining the partisans; returning home; good treatment under the communists; and persecution more recently. He notes the Hlinka and Germans were equally cruel and the murder of many of his family, including his sister.
Extent and Medium
1 videocassette
Conditions Governing Access
This testimony can only be viewed at Yale by Yale faculty and/or students.
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. This testimony or excerpts from it cannot be used for publication.
Rules and Conventions
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Process Info
compiled by Staff of the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies
People
- B., Jan, -- 1924-
Corporate Bodies
- Hlinkova slovenská l̕udová strana.
Subjects
- Aid by non-Jews.
- Postwar experiences.
- Partisans.
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, Romani.
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, Slovak.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Personal narratives.
- Men.
- Forced labor.
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Slovakia.
- Romanies -- Slovakia -- History -- 20th century.
- Romanies -- Nazi persecution -- Slovakia.
- Video tapes.
Places
- Mutual aid.
- Banská Bystrica (Slovakia)
- Sásová (Slovakia)
- Czechoslovakia.
Genre
- Oral histories. -- aat