Oral history interview with Harry Alexander

Harry Alexander discusses fleeing from Germany to Italy during the Holocaust; being trapped in San Remo because neither Italy nor France would allow him entry; sneaking into France on an overcrowded fishing boat from which several passengers fell and drowned; being helped by resistance fighters in Nîmes, France; being arrested in Nice, France and then escaping from jail; being caught and taken to Algeria, first to a prison in Algiers then to the concentration camp in Djelfa, Algeria; spending two years at Djelfa where he was forced to work on the Trans-Saharan Railroad project; being liberated by the British in 1943; joining the British military, learning English, and training in military intelligence; tracking down war criminals in Europe; being discharged from the military and sent to England; moving to New York City in 1947; training to become a watchmaker; raising a family; returning to his hometown to see his childhood home and synagogue; searching unsuccessfully for his parents, brothers, and sisters; feeling that the world betrayed the Jewish people by not giving them refuge; and understanding how his experiences have shaped his worldview, the way he raised his children, and his religious beliefs.