Michael L. Holocaust testimony

Identifier
HVT 2135
Language of Description
English
Level of Description
Collection
Source
EHRI Partner

Abstract

Videotape testimony of Michael L., who was born in ?o?dz?, Poland in 1924. He recalls visiting his paternal grandmother in Bielowice; his brother's birth in 1933; pervasive antisemitism; attending a Jewish school; participating in No'ar ha-Tsiyoni; attending trade school in 1938; German invasion in 1939; gradual deterioration of living conditions; ghettoization in spring 1940; severe hunger and cold; forced labor in a metal working shop; deportation to Auschwitz/Birkenau in August 1944; separation from his family (he never saw them again); transfer to Gleiwitz; slave labor in a wagon/auto shop; working as slowly as possible; a German supervisor providing extra food; public hanging of escaped Russion POWs; a futile escape attempt during a death march to Gross-Rosen in January 1945; transfer to Buchenwald by train three days later, then Allach; befriending a man with whom he is still in contact; train evacuation; liberation by United States troops; hospitalization; assistance from UNRRA; living in Feldafing displaced persons camp; attending trade school; visiting Munich; hearing from relatives in England through the Red Cross; emigration there in 1947; marriage; and his daughter's birth. Mr. L. discusses emotional and intellectual numbness in the camps; sharing his experiences with his wife and daughter; and traveling to Poland in 1988.

Extent and Medium

2 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

People

  • L., Michael, -- 1924-

Corporate Bodies

  • No'ar ha-Tsiyoni (Organization)
  • International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
  • Auschwitz (Concentration camp)
  • Birkenau (Concentration camp)
  • Gross-Rosen (Concentration camp)
  • Buchenwald (Concentration camp)
  • Feldafing (Displaced persons camp)
  • United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration.

Subjects

  • Survivor-child relations.
  • World War, 1939-1945 -- Children.
  • World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, Jewish.
  • Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Personal narratives.
  • Men.
  • Video tapes.
  • Holocaust survivors.
  • Sabotage.
  • World War, 1939-1945 -- Atrocities.
  • Forced labor.
  • Concentration camps -- Psychological aspects.
  • Jewish ghettos.
  • Jews -- Poland -- Łódź.
  • Jewish children in the Holocaust.
  • Zionists.
  • Postwar experiences.
  • Aid by non-Jews.
  • Child survivors.
  • Antisemitism -- Prewar.
  • Friendship.
  • Refugee camps.
  • Death marches.
  • Escapes.

Places

  • Allach (Germany : Concentration camp)
  • Poland.
  • Łódź (Poland)
  • Bielowice (Poland)
  • Munich (Germany)
  • Łódź ghetto.
  • Gleiwitz (Poland : Concentration camp)

Genre

  • Oral histories. -- aat
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.