Jacob W. Holocaust testimony

Videotape testimony of Jacob W., who was born in Radom, Poland in 1914, the youngest of eight children. He recalls life in a vibrant Jewish community; working in his father's fur business; anti-Semitic actions by local Poles; German invasion in September 1939; SS atrocities and killings; and deportation to Buchenwald in October with 3,200 Poles, less than 100 of which were Jewish. Mr. W. details in depth conditions in Buchenwald: camp organization; formation of the underground; relations among prisoners from many countries, including Russian POWs; camp songs; abusive forced labor and beatings; arrival of Jews in 1944, including a group of children; successful efforts to save the children; learning of the extermination of Jews in "the East;" and specific atrocities committed by Ilse Koch. He describes liberation after five and a half years; his realization that he might be the only survivor of his family; return to Radom; finding a niece; pogroms against returning Jewish survivors; travel to Germany; marriage to a survivor; emigration to the United States; building a successful business; his children's Jewish commitment, despite his own lack of belief; and his leadership role in the Radom survivor organizations.

3 videocassettes (3/4" u-matic)