Holocaust survivor Josie Traum circa 1941 (courtesy of Fanny Aizenberg) and as an adult today. US Holocaust Memorial Museum
“I was screaming and crying … I didn’t want to go,” remembers Holocaust survivor Josie Traum about the day strangers came to her family’s apartment and took her away. In 1942, as authorities began rounding up Jewish men, women, and children in Nazi-occupied Belgium, Josie’s mother knew she had to act quickly. She entrusted strangers in the resistance movement with taking three-year-old Josie to a secret location and keeping her safe. She didn’t know if this painful choice was the right one or if she’d ever see her only child again. Watch to learn what happened next, and discover if Josie and her mother ever reunited after their tearful goodbye.
Speaker
Josie Traum, Holocaust Survivor and Museum Volunteer
Moderator
Bill Benson, Journalist and Host, First Person: Conversations with Holocaust Survivors
Watch live at youtube.com/ushmm. You don’t need a YouTube account to view our program. After the live broadcast, the recording will be available to watch on demand on the Museum's YouTube page.
Marking 25 years, First Person is a monthly, hour-long discussion with a Holocaust survivor that is made possible through generous support from the Louis Franklin Smith Foundation.