Oral History Archive Index: Holocaust Survivors/Refugees in Manchester
LOCATION AND CONTACT DETAILS
The following index was kindly drawn up by Lynne Jesky, MA. It refers to the oral history archive held at the Manchester Jewish Museum. Students/researchers who wish to access the archive holdings should contact the Museum Director. Telephone: 0161 834 9879, Facsimile: 0161 834 9801, Email: info@manchesterjewishmuseum.com
HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS IN MANCHESTER
| ID | Tape no | Surname | First name | Birthdate | Place of Birth | Experience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | J332 | Aizenberg | Jack | 1928 | Staszow,Poland | Hiding in attic - Staszow.Ammunition factory - Kielce.Buchenwald.Kolditz.Theresienstadt.Liberated May '45.M/cr & America |
| 2 | J362 | Beale | Mendel | 1921 | Sompolno,Poland | Lodz ghetto;description.Aug '44 Auschwitz.Birkenau;description.Gerlitz;made bombs, parts for rockets.Death march, then back to Gerlitz. Liberated by Russians.Returned to Lodz. Eventually arrived in England. |
| 3 | J330 | Bomsztyk | Myer | 1928 | Staszow, Poland | '41/'42Family hid in cellar but betrayed by Poles. Prison, then ammunition factory at Kielce; Kapo's servant.Jan '45 Chesosnowa. Buchenwald. Rainsdorf. Train to Theresienstadt but train bombed so walked to Czechoslavakia. May '45 liberated by Russians.Windermere through the JRC. |
| 4 | J358 | Bulwa | Adash | 1927 | 40 km from Lodz | Forced labour in glass factory. '42 Chensterhoff in Poland.Dora, Mauthausen.Belsen. Death march to Hamburg then back to Belsen.Liberated. '45M/cr. |
| 5 | J328 | Elliott | Herbert | 1924 | Vienna, Austria | Dec '38 left Austria. 1st transport to leave Vienna. C250 children on transport.Preston then M/cr. Kindertransport? |
| 6 | J340 | Ferster | Chaim | 1922 | Sosnowice, Poland | German factory sewing uniforms. '43 Ghetto at Shrodula outside Sosnowice. Mar '43 Klettendorf camp. Faulbruch camp; made ammunition in a Krupps factory. Graditzcamp. Annaberg camp. Auschwitz for 4/5 weeks. Nieder-Orschel camp in Tieringen;built Messerschmidt planes. Walk to Buchenwald (2 wks);liberated day after arrived. Belsen with sister to see cousin. Feb '46 M/cr |
| 7 | Fuchs | Jan | 1912 | Ustin n Lab, Czech | Arrested & put in local prison. Gestapo asked who wanted to emigrate. Autumn '38 to spring '39 Prague. Denmark; farm labourer, lived freely from occupation until '43. Escaped to Sweden. England where had to join Czech forces. Denmark then England , M/cr. | |
| 8 | J337 | Fulda | Helen | 1934 | Amsterdam | Jewish quarter. With family to Belsen. Jan '45 Biberach. After Mother died, children's home in Belsen. After liberation to a convent. Aix in France to live with Grandmother & Aunt. Strasbourg with Aunt. Amsterdam to Father. Antwerp. Married a M/cr man |
| 9 | J336 | Fulder | Miriam | 1937 | Amsterdam | Hiding before Germans came. Aged 5 taken to Fenadal in the country. Parents hid in attic (or woods if Germans came). Children all different places. Miriam with family who were in the resistance. Rotterdam hospital with typhoid at end of war. Amsterdam to London. M/cr connection? |
| 10 | J352 | Golding | Maurice | 1930 | Wloclawek, Poland | Fled to Russia. Unaware what happened in Poland until '44. Jan '46 Warsaw. Aug '47 England;settled in M/cr |
| 11 | J335 | Gontarz | Sam | 1929 | Lodz, Poland | Start of war;3 families -20 people- in 2 rooms. Summer '40 Lodz ghetto; description. Autumn '43 sent to work in attolzarbeitslager. Family to Birkenau. Autumn '44 to jan '45 Auschwitz. Marched 1 week, then train to Melk, Austria - small concentration camp. Mauthausen. Walked to Wels in Austria; 1 week there until end of war. May '45 liberated by Americans. DP camps then went to meet sister in Belsen. DP camp then Munich. July '47 M/cr. |
| 12 | J341 | Haber | Nadiva | 1925 | Senta, Yugoslavia | Incomplete interview |
| 13 | J342 | Harvey | Ilse | 1934 | Austria | Budapest. '44 ghetto; description. Selected for camps but saved & hidden by Mother. Jan '45 left ghetto when Russians came. Description of restrictions on Jews '20 -'43. After marriage, Austria then England M/cr connection? |
| 14 | J361 | Hersh | Arek | 1928 | Sieradz, Poland | Sep '39 by foot to Lodz then back to Sieradz. Confined to ghetto. Rounded up; train towards Posnan. Camp at Otoczno. Another camp; laid r/w lines between Posnan & Warsaw. Describes conditions & brutality. Lodz ghetto in orphanage;description. Wagons to Birkenau. Selection to Auschwitz. Agricultural camp at Budy; description. Jan '45 march towards Germany; cattle trucks to Weimar. Marched to Buchenwald; description. Marched towards Weimar. Finally Theresienstadt. Next am liberated by Russians. Leitmeritz. Aug Prague then to Windermere. Israel. M/cr connection? |
| 15 | J329 | Hersh | Myer | 1926 | Sieradz, Poland | To Zdunska - Wola to stay with uncle. Back to Sieradz; atrocities described. Then descriptions of ghetto, Judenrat etc. Mar '40 taken to Otoschno where r/w work. Guttenberg camp. Lusenheim camp; worked on r/w. Auschwitz-Birkenau straight into quarantine;description. Remembers uprising of Oct '44 in crematoria. Auschwitz 2 years.Stutthoff then Geothe; moved out as allies approached - Buchenwald. Open coal wagon to Theresienstadt. Liberated by Russians May '45. CBF, JRC brought 300 children to England. M/cr connection? |
| 16 | J315 | Hershman | Channah | 1916 | Rokiskis, Lithuania | Teacher in Rasain at outbreak of war; could still teach under the Russians. '41 Germans came. Kovno ghetto for 3-5 years looking after children. Kockstudhoff camp. Two more camps. Liberated by Russians. Escaped; went to the Jewish office - hidden in cellar for 2 days. Teacher in Vatslavik. Oct '47 M/cr |
| 17 | Jonisz | David | 1927 | Serock, Poland | Ghetto in Legionovo; father worked for Jewish council. Warsaw ghetto to his uncle. Worked in German barracks aged 15. Ghetto evacuated. Truck to former prison in Warsaw. Majdanek. Cattle wagon to Skarzysko. Typhus but SS man took liking to him. Camp liquidated in '44. Leipzig then Buchenwald. Schlieben. April '45 train to Czech. Theresienstadt. May '45 liberated by Russians. Went with c300 youths to north of Windermere. Liverpool then M/cr. | |
| 18 | J334 | Kleiman | Karl | 1926 | Lodz, Poland | Lodz ghetto. Maryszyn camp. Caught in a round up, but reprieved. Worked in wood factory until ghetto liquidated. '44 Auschwitz on cattle truck;survived selection. Travelled to Kaufering. Went to lager Fier. Journey on wagon but air attack; ran into woods but caught. Train to Dachau for 2-3 weeks. Liberated by Americans. DP camps incl Feldafink. UNRRA came; Southampton then M/cr |
| 19 | J316 | Kurnedz | Pincus | 1928 | Piatrokov, Poland | Remained in Piatrokov with family who were taken away in '42. Pincus stayed with 2 uncles in glassworks. Sept '44 taken to Gernsinikov; ammunition factory until Jan '45. Buchenwald for 5 weeks. Kolditz ammunition works for 5 weeks. Theresienstadt for 1 week. Liberated by Russians in May '45. Aug '45 brought to Windermere. Then hostel in M/cr for 18 mths. |
| 20 | J359 | Langer | Ben | 1919 | Zawoja, Poland | After war broke out, moved round independently. Joined Polish army, ran away, went to Lvov. Xmas '39 in Krakow. Moved round to find an escape route from Russia. Caught, prison in Lvov. Train to Nikolawgeski, nr Odessa. Convicted as "Capitalist". Moved to Kozwa. 4 yrs hard labour - "spy". Moved to Arctic circle near Archangelsk; description of camps. Released Sep '41. Forced to join 1st Free Polish Recruit camp. By train & sea toTeheran in Persia.By ship to Palestine;May '42 army lorry driver. Jan '44 Alexandria for ship to Italy. May '44 preparation for Monte Casino. Stayed on in Italy after war. Jan '47 camp in S England. Then Hereford to Foxley camp. London, Newcastle. '60 M/cr |
| 21 | J345 | Neuman | Eva | 1929 | Mukachevo nr Svalva | '41 - '43, part of house commandeered. '43 escorted to synagogue.Then to Munkacs where put in a cement factory. Truck to Auschwitz; worked in "Canada" where possessions of new arrivals sorted. Helped to hide crematorium uprisers in the piles of clothing. Description.9 months[?] death march in jan '45 thru Berlin to camp at Neustadt-Gleber[13/1000 survived] Thrown on heap of corpses as so ill. Doesn't recall liberation but by Russians. Prague, Budapest. Tried to get to Israel. Cousin in Switzerland sent her money and organised entry on false passport. Remained in Geneva. Came to M/cr after marriage. |
| 22 | J357 | Newman | Henny | 1922 | Rozhan, Poland | Start of war, left everything, fled across river. White Russia then walk to Bialystock. Housed by Russians in empty mission house. Ordered to move. Nr Grodno. Then Nowy Swierzen, worked at clothing factory. 2 years became Russian nationals. June '41 war with Russia & Germany. Forced labour on communal allotments. Walled ghetto - description of ghetto & Judenrat. Ran away to partisans in nearby forest. Jan '43? Henny, sister & father escaped with a partisan. Lived rough in the forest as cook for Jewish partisans. Separated from group & joined some Russians. With partisans '43 - '45. Liberated nr Minsk by Russians. Back to Nowy Swierzen then Lodz, Berlin. 18 mths in DP camp. Helped by UNRRA. Employed as domestic in M/cr. Father & husband joined her. |
| 23 | J348 | Sherwood | Leslie | 1916 | Budapest, Hungary | '39 called to army as a cadet, all Jews taken into forced labour squadrons. Sent to Ukraine as part of "death squadron". Only 2/184 came back alive. His diary used as evidence in '45 in court trial of commander. Description of forced labour. Sent out with group, but got lost. Caught by Russians. POW in several camps - treated well. '44 escaped; walked 8 months to Hungary - description. Autumn '44 volunteered as interpreter. Allowed to go to Budapest. After war, stayed & worked in Hungary; recalls '56 uprising. Wanted to leave - fake documents. '57 arrived in M/cr |
| 24 | J354 | Steif | Bernard | 1924 | Krakow, Poland | Left Krakow in '39 for Lublin because of Germans. '40 back to Krakow until expulsion in '41/'42. To Wielicka. '42 rumours of aktion in Wieliczka. Father paid for him to work in garage for German army. Ghetto; survived selection. Labour camps incl Biezanow - again Father paid for him to go there; more like a "holiday camp". '43 camp liquidated; walked to Plaszow then transported to Skazyszo camp [munitions]. July '44, transport to Buchenwald then Shlieben. Dec '44 transported to Flossberg. April '45 Mauthausen. Liberated by Americans. Eventually to Paris. Wife from M/cr. Left Paris in '62 |
| 25 | J317 | Stein | Leah | 1926 | Minsk Mazowiecki, Po | Germans invaded, family moved to farming village to live with Jewish farmer. '40, forced into Shedletzer ghetto. '42, ghetto liquidated. Most people to Treblinka but Leah was working in the fields & hid in woods - description. Rounded up & sent to work camp in Neusaltz, Silesia. After liberation, returned to Shedletzer. '46, emigrated to M/cr. |
| 26 | J338 | Stein | Helen | 1931 | Strasbourg, Alsace, | Went with mother 7 brothers to village in Vosges mountains for 3 mths. Then Perigeux. Description of life as refugee/evacuee. '44 arrival of sonderkommando but Helen & siblings already left for Switzerland on transport organised by French resistance. Parents & youngest child went into hiding. May '44, taken from convent in Lyon to Annely but intercepted by Gestapo. Prison for 3 weeks [mainly children aged 10/11]. Then sent to Christian children's home for c2 mths. Mayor gave himself as hostage for the children. End July taken to Geneva in truck by resistance. Returned to Strasbourg in '46 where married. Settled in M/cr. |
