Paulette S. Holocaust testimony

Identifier
HVT 4224
Language of Description
English
Level of Description
Collection
Source
EHRI Partner

Abstract

Videotape testimony of Paulette S., who was born in Antwerp, Belgium in 1932, to immigrants from eastern Europe. She recalls a happy childhood; moving to Brussels; summer vacations in Knocke-sur-Mer; attending public school; German invasion; an unsuccessful escape attempt; her brother's birth; her father deciding they should go into hiding; living with a Catholic family in Waterloo; splitting up the family; hiding in Ghent, in an Ursuline convent in Brussels, with several families, and finally with two unmarried sisters, all arranged by a Franciscan priest; a brief visit with her mother; liberation in 1945; retrieval by her mother; her parents' difficulty retrieving her brother from his foster parents (they wanted to adopt him); attending school in Brussels; caring for her brother; antisemitism in school; companionship in Maccabi; emigration to the United States in 1952 via Paris to join relatives; marriage in 1955; the births of her daughters; and her parents' emigration to Israel. Ms. S. discusses her sense of loss, abandonment and loneliness during the war and to the present time; visiting Belgium with her husband and again with her daughter; admiring those who risked their lives to save her; and gratitude for her wonderful family. She shows photographs.

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

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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.