Overview
- Summary
- Videotape testimony of Chaim W., who was born in Vienna, Austria in 1932 and raised in Topoĺčany, Czechoslovakia. He recalls anti-Semitic incidents from childhood; an influx of Jewish refugees from Austria; Slovakia's increasing stringent anti-Jewish regulations and violent actions by the Hlinka Guards; hiding with non-Jewish friends; discovery and deportation to Novaky in June 1942; different jobs held by his family; efforts to observe the Sabbath; the Czech Kommandant allowing prisoners to escape in August 1944 prior to the camp's transfer to Germans; fleeing with his family to Banská Bystrica; hiding in the forest; their capture in late 1944 and escape shortly thereafter; hiding in the woods with assistance from many non-Jews; and liberation by Soviet troops in February 1945. Mr. W. describes his bar mitzvah celebration; returning to Topoĺčany; their flight to Austria in the summer of 1945 because of a violent pogrom; living in a displaced persons camp; and emigration to the United States in June 1946.
- Published
- Baltimore, Md. : Baltimore Jewish Council, 1990
- Interview Date
- March 18, 1990.
- Locale
- Austria
Vienna (Austria)
Topol̕čany (Slovakia)
Banská Bystrica (Slovakia) - Cite As
- Chaim W. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-1487). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.
Physical Details
- Language
- English
- Copies
- 2 copies: 3/4 in. dub; and 1/2 in. VHS with time coding.
- Physical Description
- 1 videorecording (1 hr., 38 min.) : col
Keywords & Subjects
- Subjects (Local Yale)
- Postwar experiences.
Antisemitism Prewar.
Antisemitism Postwar.
Aid by non-Jews.
Hiding.
Child survivors.
Forests. - Subjects
- Holocaust survivors. Video tapes. Men. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Personal narratives. World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Jewish. Forced labor. Families. Concentration camp inmates--Religious life. World War, 1939-1945--Children. Bar mitzvah. Austria. Vienna (Austria) Topol̕čany (Slovakia) Banská Bystrica (Slovakia) Oral histories (document genres) Escapes. Concentration camp inmates--Family relationships. Refugee camps. Pogroms. W., Chaim,--1932- Hlinkova slovenská l̕udová strana. Nováky (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/1089245
- Record last modified:
- 2018-05-30 11:32:00
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/hvt1089245
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