Read reflections and testimonies written by Holocaust survivors in their own words.
It was about the end of April 1945. Days in camp turned into long months, months into years, one day resembling the other. This day in this small camp, a subcamp of Ravensbrück, began like any other day. Wake-up call at dawn, with all my strength I gathered my weary, aching bones to face another day of misery and abuse.
I am a baby in my mother’s arms, surrounded by the sound of laughter from my older two brothers and the shining eyes of my father’s gaze upon me.
One day in 1941, four men came to our house. They took my family and me to the outskirts of the town, where all the Jews from the town where gathered. We were about 500 Jews. The saddest part was that a lot of the killers were our neighbors.
It was dark in the barrack where more than a hundred Russian prisoners of war were kept. About a dozen of them gathered in the dark to finalize the plan to escape. They have been planning it for months, checking all kinds of possibilities.
Upon our arrival in New York we were met at the harbor by two men. I vaguely recognized one of the men, but the other was a total stranger. After being introduced, I learned that the one I vaguely recognized was my father. Although I recognized his face, something was wrong.
Listen to or read Holocaust survivors’ experiences, told in their own words through oral histories, written testimony, and public programs.