 | Date of Birth: 1929-11-04 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID 248 Interview language: Name Martin Name Bierenkraut Name Martin Bierenkraut Name Bierenkraut Martin Name M. Name Oliver Name M. Oliver Name Oliver M. Country of Birth Czechoslovakia Language of the interview english Collection JHC Melbourne |
| Date of Birth: 1933-04-08 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID 272 A/B Interview language: 1939-1943: Zilina, Slovakia; 1943-1944: Novaky Camp, Slovakia; 1944-1945: Slovakia; 1949-1955: Israel WEBVTT 1 00:00:04.660 --> 00:00:06.760 IR: This interview is conducted for the Jewish 2 00:00:06.785 --> 00:00:10.059 Holocaust Center oral history project in Melbourne. 3 00:00:10.084 --> 00:00:12.123 Peter Windholz of (Southorfield) 4 00:00:12.147 --> 00:00:13.907 is interviewed by Eva (Orbach), 5 00:00:13.908 --> 00:00:17.408 on the 19th of January 1993. 6 00:00:17.432 --> 00:00:19.439 Peter, thank you very much for... 7 00:00:19.464 --> 00:00:20.750 ...agreeing to the interview. 8 00:00:20.775 --> 00:00:21.956 IE: It's my pleasure ((smiles)). 9 00:00:21.981 --> 00:00:23.845 IR: Erm, main focus of the interview... 10 00:00:23.870 --> 00:00:24.903 ...will be on the war years. 11 00:00:24.904 --> 00:00:25.604 IE: ((nods)) 12 00:00:25.628 --> 00:00:27.728 IR: ... but if we could start first with some background information 13 00:00:27.752 --> 00:00:29.952 about your ... family and background? 14 00:00:29.976 --> 00:00:31.276 IE: Right. 15 00:00:31.300 --> 00:00:33.100 IR: Erm, when were you born? 16 00:00:33.124 --> 00:00:35.324 IE: I was born in 1933. 17 00:00:35.349 --> 00:00:37.848 IR: Yes. And where exactly were you born? 18 00:00:37.872 --> 00:00:40.624 IE: In a town called Žilina in Czechoslovakia. 19 00:00:40.648 --> 00:00:42.648 In the Slovak part of Czechoslovakia. 20 00:00:42.673 --> 00:00:45.677 IR: Erm... Where did your father and mother's 21 00:00:45.702 --> 00:00:48.620 families come from, were they from the same area? 22 00:00:48.644 --> 00:00:49.802 IE: Eh, yes. 23 00:00:49.826 --> 00:00:53.462 Well, they...my father comes from Slovakia 24 00:00:53.487 --> 00:00:55.408 From a... 25 00:00:55.433 --> 00:00:57.043 ...little village called Sklené. 26 00:00:57.068 --> 00:01:01.723 My mother, her family actually comes from Wiener Neustadt. 27 00:01:01.748 --> 00:01:03.408 But, eh... 28 00:01:03.440 --> 00:01:06.510 Her grandparents settled in Slovakia. 29 00:01:06.535 --> 00:01:09.167 In the...the end part of the 20th century 30 00:01:09.192 --> 00:01:11.650 IR: So, your mother was from... 31 00:01:11.674 --> 00:01:13.262 herself was born in ahm... 32 00:01:13.263 --> 00:01:16.888 IE: No, she wasn't born in Slovakia... 33 00:01:16.913 --> 00:01:21.276 But her parents...were born in Wiener Neustadt 34 00:01:21.300 --> 00:01:23.300 IR: And hmm... 35 00:01:23.331 --> 00:01:26.190 Could you give us your mother and father's full name, please? 36 00:01:26.215 --> 00:01:29.486 IE: Sure, my father was Armin Windholz 37 00:01:29.511 --> 00:01:30.940 A-R-M-I-N 38 00:01:30.965 --> 00:01:33.543 And my mother was Helen 39 00:01:33.568 --> 00:01:34.840 IR: What's her middle name? 40 00:01:34.865 --> 00:01:36.984 IE: Pollak P-O-L-L-A-K 41 00:01:37.008 --> 00:01:38.898 IR: And did you have uncles and aunts? 42 00:01:38.922 --> 00:01:41.078 IE: Yeah, we were a very very big family 43 00:01:41.102 --> 00:01:43.102 My...specially from my father's side 44 00:01:43.126 --> 00:01:48.804 My father had, eh...five sisters and a brother 45 00:01:48.836 --> 00:01:50.603 ...and they all had big families 46 00:01:50.628 --> 00:01:52.852 My mother only had... 47 00:01:52.876 --> 00:01:54.876 (were there) only four siblings... 48 00:01:54.900 --> 00:01:56.900 ...she had a sister and two brothers. 49 00:01:56.924 --> 00:01:58.924 IR: And you have cousins? 50 00:01:58.948 --> 00:01:59.408 IE: Yes, yes 51 00:01:59.432 --> 00:02:01.432 IR: Living in your area? with you...? 52 00:02:01.456 --> 00:02:05.787 IE: The family was living mainly in Žilina 53 00:02:05.811 --> 00:02:07.811 ...and in the (suburbs) of Žilina 54 00:02:07.836 --> 00:02:09.836 it was a big family, and a very close family. 55 00:02:09.860 --> 00:02:13.092 IR: Yes, so you had enough to do with your grandparents... 56 00:02:13.116 --> 00:02:14.617 IE: ((nods)) Yes and I-I-I... look, no. 57 00:02:14.642 --> 00:02:16.360 I never... 58 00:02:16.385 --> 00:02:18.823 ...met my grandparents. 59 00:02:18.824 --> 00:02:22.049 They were both dead by the time I was born. 60 00:02:22.073 --> 00:02:26.387 My...maternal grandmother, I have known her. 61 00:02:26.411 --> 00:02:30.545 My paternal grandmother died at the birth of my father. 62 00:02:30.569 --> 00:02:32.569 But um... 63 00:02:32.594 --> 00:02:33.451 According to the Jewish law... 64 00:02:33.476 --> 00:02:35.561 ...the youngest sister immediately married... 65 00:02:35.585 --> 00:02:36.023 IE: Married, yes. 66 00:02:36.048 --> 00:02:36.987 So... I knew... 67 00:02:37.011 --> 00:02:41.608 I - I ...whom I thought is my grandmas father's... 68 00:02:41.633 --> 00:02:42.680 ...my grandmother of my father's side 69 00:02:42.704 --> 00:02:44.704 Was actually a stepmother of my... 70 00:02:44.734 --> 00:02:47.663 ...but I only found it out many many years later. 71 00:02:47.688 --> 00:02:49.749 IR: Did you say immediately, immediately married? 72 00:02:49.773 --> 00:02:51.773 IE: Yes, within...in a...few months. 73 00:02:51.797 --> 00:02:52.542 IR: Few months... 74 00:02:52.566 --> 00:02:53.472 IE: Yeah. 75 00:02:53.473 --> 00:02:54.831 IR: Specially when there is a baby... 76 00:02:54.855 --> 00:02:56.105 IE: Yeah. 77 00:02:56.130 --> 00:02:58.115 IR: And you, yourself... How many siblings did you have? 78 00:02:58.140 --> 00:02:58.626 IE: I only got... 79 00:02:58.651 --> 00:03:00.128 ... I - I have one sister. 80 00:03:00.129 --> 00:03:01.058 IR: You have. 81 00:03:01.083 --> 00:03:02.071 IE: Yeah, I still have. One. 82 00:03:02.096 --> 00:03:03.223 She lives in Melbourne. 83 00:03:03.224 --> 00:03:04.728 IR: Oh, yes. Good. 84 00:03:04.753 --> 00:03:06.605 What did your father do for living? 85 00:03:06.630 --> 00:03:08.857 IE: He was a civil engineer. 86 00:03:08.888 --> 00:03:11.247 And yet a quite substantial (...) 87 00:03:11.272 --> 00:03:12.848 IR: He had his own business. 88 00:03:12.873 --> 00:03:13.341 IE: Yes 89 00:03:13.365 --> 00:03:15.036 IR: Did he employed people in the business? 90 00:03:15.062 --> 00:03:15.389 IE: Yes. 91 00:03:15.413 --> 00:03:17.263 IR: Jewish? not Jewish? 92 00:03:17.287 --> 00:03:18.198 IE: A variety. 93 00:03:18.223 --> 00:03:18.712 IR: A variety. 94 00:03:18.736 --> 00:03:19.917 Do you know approximately...? 95 00:03:19.918 --> 00:03:22.284 IE: I mean, the labourers were definitely not Jewish. 96 00:03:22.309 --> 00:03:26.433 The office staff, and the architects and other employees... 97 00:03:26.458 --> 00:03:27.251 ...could have been. 98 00:03:27.252 --> 00:03:28.222 Probably some were Jewish some were not 99 00:03:28.223 --> 00:03:28.866 IR: I see. 100 00:03:28.891 --> 00:03:30.231 IE: But I am not quite a hundred percent sure. 101 00:03:30.256 --> 00:03:31.912 I -I remember few of them but not all. 102 00:03:31.936 --> 00:03:33.810 IR: You don't know how many approximately...? IE: No 103 00:03:33.835 --> 00:03:36.692 IR: No. You were very young. You don't remember that... 104 00:03:36.716 --> 00:03:38.278 hmm... 105 00:03:38.303 --> 00:03:40.255 How would you describe your life... 106 00:03:40.280 --> 00:03:43.003 ...pre war, where you comfortable, wealth to do...? 107 00:03:43.028 --> 00:03:43.505 IE: Ahm... 108 00:03:43.530 --> 00:03:44.600 IR: Middle class...? 109 00:03:44.625 --> 00:03:46.559 IE: Very middle class 110 00:03:46.584 --> 00:03:47.280 Very middle class 111 00:03:47.305 --> 00:03:48.171 IR: Was this very middle... 112 00:03:48.196 --> 00:03:49.023 IE: Comfortable middle class 113 00:03:49.048 --> 00:03:49.881 IR: Comfortable middle class 114 00:03:49.906 --> 00:03:51.092 IE: Comfortable middle class, yes. 115 00:03:51.116 --> 00:03:51.575 IR: Yes. Right. 116 00:03:51.599 --> 00:03:52.641 IE: We were never... 117 00:03:52.666 --> 00:03:54.650 ...never had any extremes of luxury... 118 00:03:54.674 --> 00:03:57.741 ...but I can never remember any... any problems... 119 00:03:57.766 --> 00:03:59.422 ...or being short of... 120 00:03:59.447 --> 00:04:02.150 IR: Ahm...you were... 121 00:04:02.174 --> 00:04:04.174 ...six at the outbreak of war 122 00:04:04.198 --> 00:04:05.307 IE: Correct. 123 00:04:05.331 --> 00:04:07.164 IR: Yes. 124 00:04:07.189 --> 00:04:09.322 But the war for you didn't start until a bit later... 125 00:04:09.346 --> 00:04:11.346 What's...can we talk about your schooling? 126 00:04:11.370 --> 00:04:12.783 (What...) primary school 127 00:04:12.808 --> 00:04:14.424 IE: Yes. I was...hmm... 128 00:04:14.448 --> 00:04:16.448 Well, I went to a Jewish kindergarten. 129 00:04:16.472 --> 00:04:17.198 Ahm... 130 00:04:17.222 --> 00:04:19.222 ...my mother tongue was German 131 00:04:19.246 --> 00:04:20.127 IR: Oh, yes. 132 00:04:20.152 --> 00:04:21.767 IE: Because... 133 00:04:21.792 --> 00:04:22.924 ...I had German nannies... 134 00:04:22.925 --> 00:04:25.011 ...and you know it's German. 135 00:04:25.036 --> 00:04:26.821 I only started speaking Slovak... 136 00:04:26.845 --> 00:04:29.723 ...when I went to school. 137 00:04:29.747 --> 00:04:30.370 IR: I see 138 00:04:30.395 --> 00:04:31.950 IE: And possibly to kindergarten 139 00:04:31.975 --> 00:04:33.450 But I know that my basic... 140 00:04:33.475 --> 00:04:35.693 ...the first four, five years of my life... 141 00:04:35.718 --> 00:04:36.520 ...I spoke German. IR: You spoke German. 142 00:04:36.545 --> 00:04:38.684 IE: Ehm... 143 00:04:38.709 --> 00:04:41.310 IR: But that (was in general s...) in Slovakia, was it? 144 00:04:41.335 --> 00:04:41.756 IE: Well... 145 00:04:41.781 --> 00:04:42.271 IR: More... 146 00:04:42.295 --> 00:04:44.295 IE: More...more in that... in that area 147 00:04:44.319 --> 00:04:45.639 Where I was living... 148 00:04:45.664 --> 00:04:47.664 which was close to the Czech border... 149 00:04:47.688 --> 00:04:49.688 that was already... 150 00:04:49.712 --> 00:04:54.450 quite normal occurrence that people speaked in German. 151 00:04:54.475 --> 00:04:55.209 Not exclusively German... 152 00:04:55.234 --> 00:04:57.952 but...German. 153 00:04:57.976 --> 00:04:58.639 IR: Erm... 154 00:04:58.663 --> 00:05:00.064 Erm... 155 00:05:00.089 --> 00:05:01.258 and the school you attended...was...? 156 00:05:01.282 --> 00:05:03.282 IE: Well that...that was... 157 00:05:03.306 --> 00:05:03.922 primary... 158 00:05:03.946 --> 00:05:05.233 ...Jewish primary school... 159 00:05:05.258 --> 00:05:06.498 in Žilina... 160 00:05:06.522 --> 00:05:08.897 Which started... 161 00:05:08.922 --> 00:05:10.318 ...when I was six year old... 162 00:05:10.343 --> 00:05:12.107 ...I went to grade one. 163 00:05:12.132 --> 00:05:13.414 And up to... 164 00:05:13.439 --> 00:05:15.803 I think 1941 or 42... 165 00:05:15.804 --> 00:05:17.365 It was a normal school. 166 00:05:17.389 --> 00:05:20.012 Then when the transport started... 167 00:05:20.037 --> 00:05:22.561 ... and the numbers diminished drastically... 168 00:05:22.586 --> 00:05:25.215 ...we actually had only one class. 169 00:05:25.240 --> 00:05:27.069 And... 170 00:05:27.093 --> 00:05:29.802 ...I think there were four or five grades in one class. 171 00:05:29.826 --> 00:05:31.240 It was (...) composed. 172 00:05:31.264 --> 00:05:33.820 And the teacher tried to give everybody... 173 00:05:33.845 --> 00:05:35.965 ...the work according to his age... 174 00:05:35.990 --> 00:05:36.928 ...or her age. Name Peter Name Windholz Name Peter Windholz Name Windholz Peter Name E. Name Urbach Name E. Urbach Name Urbach E. Country of Birth Czechoslovakia Language of the interview english Collection JHC Melbourne |
 | Date of Birth: 1926-08-19 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID 344 A/B Interview language: 1939-1944: Konus, Czechoslovakia; 1944-1944: Uzhhorod Camp, Hungary; 1944-1944: Auschwitz Birkenau Camp, Poland; 1944-1945: Liebau Camp, Germany; 1945-1948: Czechoslovakia Name Piri Name Weiss Name Piri Weiss Name Weiss Piri Name R. Name Goodwach Name R. Goodwach Name Goodwach R. Country of Birth Czechoslovakia Language of the interview english Collection JHC Melbourne |
| Date of Birth: 1916-03-05 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID 394 Interview language: 1938-1940: Kosice, Czechoslovakia; 1940-1941: Sarospatak, Hungary; 1941-1941: Veszprem, Hungary; 1941-1942; Alshorepa, Transylvania; 1942-1942: Balaton, Hungary; 1942-1944: Novauspenka Camp, Russia; 1944-1945: Czechoslovakia; 1945-1952: Israel Name Les Name Maget Name Les Maget Name Maget Les Name A. Name Goldenberg Name A. Goldenberg Name Goldenberg A. Country of Birth Austria-Hungary Language of the interview english Collection JHC Melbourne |
| Date of Birth: 1928-10-28 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID 437 A/B Interview language: 1941-1943: As, Czechoslovakia; 1943-1944: Auschwitz Camp, Poland; 1944-1944: Ravensbruck Camp, Germany; 1944-1945: Retzow Camp, Germany; 1945-1945: Cyprus; 1946-1959: Israel Name Rachel Name Amit Name Rachel Amit Name Amit Rachel Name M. Name Morris Name M. Morris Name Morris M. Country of Birth Czechoslovakia Language of the interview english Collection JHC Melbourne |
 | Date of Birth: 1927-04-30 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID 717 Interview language: 1939-1944: Spisska Stara Ves, Czechoslovakia; 1944-1944: Plaszow Camp, Poland; 1944-1945: Auschwitz Camp, Poland; 1945-1945: Ravensbruck Camp, Germany; 1945-1945: Ravensbruck Camp, Germany; 1945-1948: Czechoslovakia; 1948-1959: Italy, France Name Miriam Name Unreich Name Miriam Unreich Name Unreich Miriam Name A. Name Goldenberg Name A. Goldenberg Name Goldenberg A. Country of Birth Czechoslovakia Language of the interview english Collection JHC Melbourne |
 | Date of Birth: 1905-07-11 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID 741 Interview language: 1939-1941: Cyprus; 1941-1946: Palestine; 1946-1946: Egypt; 1946-1946: North Africa; 1946-1946: Jordan; 1946-1946: Italy; 1946-1947: Czechoslovakia; 1947-1948: France; Name Kurt Name Jilovsky Name Kurt Jilovsky Name Jilovsky Kurt Name P. Name Rockman Name P. Rockman Name Rockman P. Country of Birth Austria-Hungary Language of the interview english Collection JHC Melbourne |
 | Date of Birth: 1916-10-28 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID 761 Interview language: 1939-1942: Bratislava, Czechoslovakia; 1942-1942: Auschwitz Camp, Poland; 1942-1945: Birkenau Camp, Poland; 1945-1945: Mauthausen Camp, Austria; 1945-1949: Czechoslovakia; 1949-1949: France Name Ludwig Name Sokolow Name Ludwig Sokolow Name Sokolow Ludwig Name K. Name Altman Name K. Altman Name Altman K. Country of Birth Austria-Hungary Language of the interview english Collection JHC Melbourne |
 | Date of Birth: 1931-08-28 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID 764 A/B Interview language: 1939-1942: Bratislava, Czechoslovakia; 1942-1943: Klariska Ghetto, Bratislava, Czechoslovakia; 1943-1944: Nitra, Czechoslovakia; 1944-1944: Sered, Czechoslovakia; 1944-1945: Birkenau, Poland; 1945-1945: Auschwitz II, Poland; 1945-1945: Slovakia; 1945-1946: Bratislava; 1946-1948: Switzerland Name Eva Name Slonim Name Eva Slonim Name Slonim Eva Name P. Name Kaufman Name P. Kaufman Name Kaufman P. Country of Birth Czechoslovakia Language of the interview english Collection JHC Melbourne |
| Date of Birth: 1922-11-12 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID 820 Interview language: Name Ludevit Name Ehrenreich Name Ludevit Ehrenreich Name Ehrenreich Ludevit Name M. Name Kron Name M. Kron Name Kron M. Country of Birth Czechoslovakia Language of the interview english Collection JHC Melbourne |
 | Date of Birth: 1930-09-10 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID 827 Interview language: 1944: Uzhhorod Ghetto, Hungary; 1944-1945: Auschwitz Camp, Poland; 1944-1945: Jawiszowice Work Camp, Poland; 1945-1945: Buchenwald Camp, Germany; 1945-1950: Czechoslovakia Name Emil Name Braun Name Emil Braun Name Braun Emil Name M. Name Kron Name M. Kron Name Kron M. Country of Birth Czechoslovakia Language of the interview english Collection JHC Melbourne |
| Date of Birth: 1925-12-28 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID 903 Interview language: 1939-1942: Prague, Czechoslovakia; 1942-1944: Theresienstadt Camp, Czechoslovakia; 1944-1944: Auschwitz Camp, Poland; 1944-1945: Kudowa-Sakisch Camp, Germany; 1945-1949: Prague, Czechoslovakia Name Irena Name Capek Name Irena Capek Name Capek Irena Name M. Name Kron Name M. Kron Name Kron M. Country of Birth Czechoslovakia Language of the interview english Collection JHC Melbourne |
| Date of Birth: 1934-10-08 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID 940 A/B Interview language: 1939-1940: Bratislava, Czechoslovakia; 1940-1942: Bratislava Ghetto, Czechoslovakia; 1942-1944: Sarvar, Hungary; 1944-1944: Sarvar Ghetto, Hungary; 1944-1944: Bratislava, Czechoslovakia; 1944-1944: Nitra, Slovakia; 1944-1944: Sered, Czechoslovakia; 1945-1945: Auschwitz Birkenau Camp, Poland; 1945-1947: Bratislava, Czechoslovakia; 1947-1948: Switzerland Name Marta Name Wise Name Marta Wise Name Wise Marta Name G. Name Kras Name G. Kras Name Kras G. Country of Birth Czechoslovakia Language of the interview english Collection JHC Melbourne |
 | Date of Birth: 1937-07-14 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID 1152 Interview language: 1937-1943: Bratislava, Czechoslovakia; 1944-1944: Cataj, Czechoslovakia; 1944-1944: Sered, Czechoslovakia; 1944-1945: Theresienstadt Camp, Czechoslovakia; 1945-1949: Bratislava, Czechoslovakia Name Peter Name Gaspar Name Peter Gaspar Name Gaspar Peter Name G. Name Kras Name G. Kras Name Kras G. Country of Birth Czechoslovakia Language of the interview english Collection JHC Melbourne |
 | Date of Birth: 1938-04-02 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID 1161A/B Interview language: 1938-1942: Bratislava, Czechoslovakia; 1942-1945: Budapest, Hungary; 1945-1949: Bratislava, Czechoslovakia Name Paul Name Valent Name Paul Valent Name Valent Paul Name P. Name Maisel Name P. Maisel Name Maisel P. Country of Birth Czechoslovakia Language of the interview english Collection JHC Melbourne |
 | Date of Birth: 1924-08-20 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID RG-50.407.0138 Interview language: Abraham Hersz Biderman, born August 20, 1924 in Łódź, Poland, describes his parents and one sibling; his education; going to the Łódź Ghetto on May 1, 1940; being deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau; being evacuated to Dora on January 18, 1945; being evacuated to Bergen-Belsen during the first week of April 1945; being liberated by the British Army on April 15, 1945; crossing the border to Belgium in November 1945; arriving in Australia January 11, 1949; and getting married and having one child. Name Abraham H. Name Biderman Name Abraham H. Biderman Name Biderman Abraham H. Name Magda Name Kron Name Magda Kron Name Kron Magda Country of Birth Poland Language of the interview English Collection JHC Melbourne |
 | Date of Birth: 1920-01-23 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID RG-50.407.0164 Interview language: Abram Bursztyn was born in Kielce, Poland on January 23, 1920, the second oldest of six children. His father, Leib, was a self-employed shoemaker; his mother was Sprinza. His family was traditional, neither orthodox nor secular. His family was not well-off, but were adequately fed and clothed. Abram finished his schooling at age 14.5 at a Christian school, and attended no Jewish schools. He could read/write Hebrew, but spoke Yiddish at home. The family moved to Łódź when Abram was 11. Abram did not often mix with non-Jewish children and had occasional schoolboy fights, frequently feeling anti-Semitism from the teachers. In Łódź, there was a larger Jewish community, and “did not mix much” with Poles. After leaving school, Abram worked in a factory, a Jewish owner and workforce. He wasn’t much aware of the plight of Jews in Germany. When the war started, Germany bombed Łódź for a week, then invaded on Sept. 7, 1941; the factories all closed. The Wehrmacht initially was polite, but some street beatings and conscriptions for minor work details began, conducted mostly by Volk-Deutsche. After two months, Abram and his brother escaped to the Soviet zone via Bialystok. Conditions were crowded with refugees; they and “thousands” slept in the temple. Many Jews served with the Soviet authorities, treating the Polish Jews normally, but often abused the Poles. After 4-5 months without work, he went to Sverdlosk, but was unable to work in the coal mines due to inadequate clothing. Ultimately, he returned to Bialystok meeting up with his family, and his brother. After a few months, the Russians sent them and many others by truck and train for months to the “other side of Siberia”, an area that never turned dark in the summer. They were treated as well as other Russians. On arrival, everyone worked in a brickworks living a harsh but normal life. They remained there until Russia and Germany went to war. His family was then allowed to go wherever they wished; they chose Jalal-Abad, Kyrgyzstan, SSR, taking months to get there. Abram’s father went back to shoemaking (“In Russia, a shoemaker is more important than a doctor”.) with all living in a small hut, but life was not harsh. The town had about 1000 Jews. He and his brother were mobilized and conscripted without notice into the Army in 1945, acting as support, not front-line troops. After 6-7 months, they were allowed to return to his parents until they were repatriated to Łódź in 1946. There a Zionist helped his family go to Israel via Germany. Abram stayed behind until 1957 marrying a non-Jewish Polish girl. Then, Abram went to Israel, but he and his wife did not do well there and were divorced. Abram then joined his brother in Australia, where he remarried and remained. Name Abram Name Bursztyn Name Abram Bursztyn Name Bursztyn Abram Name Magda Name Kron Name Magda Kron Name Kron Magda Country of Birth Poland Language of the interview English Collection JHC Melbourne |
 | Date of Birth: 1933-03-05 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID RG-50.407.0183 Interview language: Můžeme z automatického přepisu udělat automatický abstrakt? Z Abstraktu-Přepisu automaticky klíčová slova? Name Abram Name Zaltsman Name Abram Zaltsman Name Zaltsman Abram Name Bela G Name Meylikh Name Bela G Meylikh Name Meylikh Bela G Country of Birth USSR; Ukraine Language of the interview Russian Collection JHC Melbourne |
 | Date of Birth: 1924-05-25 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID RG-50.407.0269 Interview language: Name Abram Name Zeleznikow Name Abram Zeleznikow Name Zeleznikow Abram Name Phillip; Rita(?) Name Maisel; Lapidus(?) Name Phillip; Rita(?) Maisel; Lapidus(?) Name Maisel; Lapidus(?) Phillip; Rita(?) Country of Birth Poland; Lithuania Language of the interview Yiddish; German; English Collection JHC Melbourne |
 | Date of Birth: 1938-06-14 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID RG-50.407.0287 Interview language: Name Agnes Name Tepe Name Agnes Tepe Name Tepe Agnes Name Geri Name Kras Name Geri Kras Name Kras Geri Country of Birth Netherlands Language of the interview English Collection JHC Melbourne |
 | Date of Birth: Place of Birth: | Collection: ID RG-50.407.0056 Interview language: Albert A Katz, born in Hungary, discusses his mother, Madia, and father, Martin, who was a farmer in Czechoslovakia and employed many non-Jews; growing up in a religious and Kosher home; having three sisters and three brothers; attending a secular school in Berehove, Czechoslovakia (now in Ukraine); being a pharmacist; owning a shop from 1937 to 1941 in Irshava, Czechoslovakia (now in Ukraine); the Hungarian occupation; being taken in 1941 to a forced labor camps; the German occupation; being forced to build airports and dig tank trenches; living in stables with other Jews as well as Jehovah Witnesses; Hungarian crews hanging the prisoners by their arms, a practice which the Germans stopped as it prevented the prisoners from being able to work; being taken to Bor, Yugoslavia (now in Serbia) where they worked in copper mines for the Germans; being marched from Bor to Flossenbürg, Germany; being taken to Dresden to clean up the city after the bombings; being taken to work in copper mines in Germany; being sent to Theresienstadt; being liberated in Theresienstadt; contracting typhus; convalescing in a hospital; a friend taking him to Pilsen, Germany (Plzeň, Czech Republic); getting married to a Slovakian survivor; going to the United States in 1948 with his wife and son; working at a night club for 12 years; immigrating to Australia in 1960 because his wife’s family lived there; telling his children about his war-time experiences. (The interviewee shows family photographs and a letter from his mother at the end of the interview.) Name Albert Name Katz Name Albert Katz Name Katz Albert Name Kitia Name Altman Name Kitia Altman Name Altman Kitia Country of Birth Austria-Hungary; Ukraine Language of the interview English Collection JHC Melbourne |
 | Date of Birth: 1930-06-10 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID RG-50.407.0189 Interview language: Name Albert Name Shelling Name Albert Shelling Name Shelling Albert Name Kitia Name Altman Name Kitia Altman Name Altman Kitia Country of Birth Poland Language of the interview English Collection JHC Melbourne |
 | Date of Birth: 1905-04-13 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID RG-50.407.0112 Interview language: Name Alex Name Bodian Name Alex Bodian Name Bodian Alex Name Magda Name Kron Name Magda Kron Name Kron Magda Country of Birth Poland; Ukraine Language of the interview English Collection JHC Melbourne |
 | Date of Birth: 1916-11-12 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID G-50.407.0069 Interview language: Name Alex Name de Zoete Name Alex de Zoete Name de Zoete Alex Name Phillip Name Maisel Name Phillip Maisel Name Maisel Phillip Country of Birth Netherlands Language of the interview English Collection JHC Melbourne |
 | Date of Birth: 1924-05-16 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID RG-50.407.0020 Interview language: Alex Heimler, born on May 16, 1924 in Vered, Hungary, describes his town as small with 30 or so Jewish families; his father’s wholesale grain business, grocery, and fuel depot; finishing high school, apprenticing as an automobile mechanic, and obtaining his certification in 1943; how after the Germans entered Hungary, he had to go to a labor camp and was put to work in a manganese mine; escaping from the camp after Hungary pulled out of the war on October 16, 1944; making his way to Budapest, Hungary and surviving the war under the protection of the Red Cross and the Swedish Legation; liberation and working for three months for the Russians, rounding up Nazi collaborators; returning to Vered in March 1945; and escaping in 1956 to Austria and immigrating to Australia the same year. Name Alex Name Heimler Name Alex Heimler Name Heimler Alex Name Pauline Name Rockman Name Pauline Rockman Name Rockman Pauline Country of Birth Hungary Language of the interview English Collection JHC Melbourne |
 | Date of Birth: 1905-04-11 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID RG-50.407.0099 Interview language: Name Alex Name Strauss Name Alex Strauss Name Strauss Alex Name Rita Name Lapidus Name Rita Lapidus Name Lapidus Rita Country of Birth Poland Language of the interview English Collection JHC Melbourne |
 | Date of Birth: 1936-05-02 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID RG-50.407.0297 Interview language: Name Alexander Name Kovach Name Alexander Kovach Name Kovach Alexander Name Geri Name Kras Name Geri Kras Name Kras Geri Country of Birth Yugoslavia; Croatia Language of the interview English Collection JHC Melbourne |
 | Date of Birth: 1927-01-21 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID RG-50.407.0060 Interview language: Alice Halasez, born on January 21, 1927 in Budapest, Hungary, discusses her parents, Shomrai Klein (born 1899) and Esther Shpitz (born 1905).; growing up in town a half hour from Budapest; her younger sister; her father’s button factory and two button/embroidery shops where her mother and other relatives also worked; attending a commercial school in Budapest but never graduating; parents keeping kosher at home and attending an Orthodox synagogue; speaking only Hungarian (her mother’s parents only spoke German); the beginning of the war, which had little effect on her family at first; a detective accusing her father of being a spy in 1942 and her father bribing him to drop it; Jews not being allowed to attend universities, which was the only restriction on Jews from 1939 to 1944; not knowing about the concentration camps, but her father was sent to a labor camp in 1942; being forced with her family to live in the ghetto in April 1944; being sent via cattle car to Auschwitz along with her grandmother, aunt, mother and sister; her grandmother’s death on the journey; the killing of her mother and sister upon arrival; taking care of her aunt; being sent to Birkenau; eating potato peels found in the garbage; being sent to Bergen-Belsen to work in a munitions factory; a German foreman giving her sandwiches which she shared with other prisoners; being treated better than at Auschwitz; being hospitalized for a month and being very weak when she returned to work; being liberated by Russians around April 1945 before the Americans arrived; staying at Bergen-Belsen until June 1945; returning to Budapest; reuniting with her father and future husband, whom she knew before the war (he was in hiding during the war); getting married to Laszlo Halasz on July 14, 1945 in a religious wedding; her father getting married in 1947 to a widow who had a son named Peter Handelsman (born 1937); working with her father; the broth of her son George; her family’s immigration to Australia in 1957 and the immigration of her father and stepmother, and stepbrother in 1959; her father starting a printing factory; and working for Kodak and then for her father. Name Alice Name Halasz(?) Name Alice Halasz(?) Name Halasz(?) Alice Name Kitia Name Altman Name Kitia Altman Name Altman Kitia Country of Birth Hungary Language of the interview English Collection JHC Melbourne |
 | Date of Birth: 1941-11-10 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID RG-50.407.0091 Interview language: Name Alice Name Plesser Name Alice Plesser Name Plesser Alice Name Phillip Name Maisel Name Phillip Maisel Name Maisel Phillip Country of Birth USSR; Kazakhstan Language of the interview English Collection JHC Melbourne |
 | Date of Birth: 1927-10-25 Place of Birth: | Collection: ID RG-50.407.0088 Interview language: Name Alice Name Spierer Landau Name Alice Spierer Landau Name Spierer Landau Alice Name Phillip Name Maisel Name Phillip Maisel Name Maisel Phillip Country of Birth Hungary Language of the interview English Collection JHC Melbourne |