First Person: Conversations with Holocaust Survivors

Rose-Helene Spreiregen was just a child waiting in line for rations when she overheard adults call her a “dirty Jew.” Naive and vulnerable, she thought, “Maybe they had a point. Maybe I was no good.” Rose-Helene had been fending for herself and her grandmother in German-occupied Paris ever since authorities had deported her mother in the summer of 1942. A year later, fearing more roundups, the pair fled the city with false papers. They hid their identity at police checkpoints along their journey, and Rose-Helene recalled, “I don’t think I was ever more scared.” Watch to discover what happened next. The next First Person conversation with a Holocaust survivor will be available to watch here on Wednesday, November 20, 2024.

First Person is a monthly, hour-long interview between journalist Bill Benson and a Holocaust survivor on the Museum’s YouTube page, including questions from the audience. This program is made possible through generous support from the Louis Franklin Smith Foundation.