Margita H. Holocaust testimony

Identifier
HVT 3675
Language of Description
English
Level of Description
Collection
Source
EHRI Partner

Abstract

Videotape testimony of Margita H., who was born in Šamorín, Czechoslovakia (presently Slovakia) in 1923. She recounts visiting grandparents in Martin; moving to Vel̕ké Leváre, then Tomášov; attending school in Bratislava; expulsion in 1938 due to anti-Jewish laws; participating in Hashomer Hatzair in Nové Zámky and Budapest; returning to Tomášov; German occupation; forced relocation to Rastice; working in Hubice; transfer to Dunajská Streda; deportation to Auschwitz/Birkenau; separation with her sister from their mother (they never saw her again); remaining with a group from Šamorín; their transfer to Płasźow six days later; slave labor in a quarry; public executions; hospitalization; transfer back to Auschwitz; hospitalization; assistance from a nurse whom she knew from Martin; transfer to Augsburg; improved conditions; assistance from their civilian supervisor; her sister's illness; the civilian doctor arranging her sister's transfer to the hospital in Dachau; learning a prayer and repeating it often for her sister's recovery; her transfer to Dachau (she faked appendicitis); liberation by United States troops in April 1945; traveling through Plzeň to Bratislava, then Šamorín; reunion with her father and cousin in Tomášov; difficulty recovering their property; and marriage in 1947. Ms. H. discusses the importance of being with the group from Šamorín to her and her sister's survival; relations between national groups in the camps; silence in Slovakia concerning the Holocaust until recently; and regrets that she has not shared her experiences with her children. She shows camp artifacts.

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

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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.