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David F. Holocaust testimony (HVT-663) interviewed by Sally Jo Brown Winter,

Oral History | Digitized | Fortunoff Collection ID: HVT-663

Overview

Summary: Videotape testimony of David F., who was born in Będzin, Poland in 1928. The youngest of five children, he recalls the town's large Jewish population; anti-Semitic violence; his father's death; attending school until the German invasion; the family's forced relocation into one room; and two brothers' deportations, then his to a nearby labor camp in 1942. He tells of transfer to Bismarkshütte, then Reigersfeld and Blechhammer; a forced march in December 1944 to Gross Rosen; a SS officer killing prisoners with his bare hands; transport to Buchenwald, then Langenstein; hiding among dead bodies to avoid the camp's evacuation; and liberation by American troops. Mr. F. recounts recuperation in Halberstadt; transfer to the Bergen-Belsen displaced persons camp; reunion with a cousin; finding a brother (the only other surviving member in his family); and emigrating to the United States in 1947. He reflects upon his reluctance to discuss his experience but recently doing so with students, the dehumanization of Jews and his anger that no one helped.
Author/Creator: F., David, 1928-
Published: Des Moines, Iowa : Des Moines Holocaust Survivors Project, 1985
Interview Date: November 19, 1985.
Locale: Poland
Będzin (Poland)
Halberstadt (Germany)
Cite As: David F. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-663). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimony, Yale University Library.
Other Authors/Editors: Winter, Sally Jo Brown, interviewer.

Physical Details

Language: English
Copies: 2 copies: 3/4 in. dub; and 1/2 in. VHS with time coding.
Physical Description: 1 videorecording (39 min.) : col

Keywords & Subjects

Subjects (Local Yale): Antisemitism Prewar.
Child survivors.
Postwar experiences.
Subjects: Holocaust survivors. Video tapes. Men. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Personal narratives. World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Jewish. World War, 1939-1945--Children. Forced labor. World War, 1939-1945--Atrocities. Poland. Będzin (Poland) Halberstadt (Germany) Oral histories (document genres) Death marches. Refugee camps. F., David,--1928- DP-Camp Bergen-Belsen. Blechhammer E/3 (Concentration camp) Gross-Rosen (Concentration camp) Buchenwald (Concentration camp) Langenstein (Concentration camp)

Administrative Notes

Holder of Originals: Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies
Special Collection: Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies

Link to Yale University Library Catalog:: http://hdl.handle.net/10079/bibid/1055932
Record last modified:: 2018-05-30 11:44:00
This page:: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/hvt1055932

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