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Judy J. Holocaust testimony (HVT-2336) interviewed by Aletha Simon and Carl R. Schulkin,

Oral History | Fortunoff Collection ID: HVT-2336

Videotape testimony of Judy J., who was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1937. She recalls summers with her maternal grandparents in Békés; her uncle's conscription into a forced labor battalion around 1941 (she never saw him again); her father's conscription two separate times and the loss of his medical practice; German invasion in March 1944; increased anti-Jewish restrictions; relatives moving to their home in a designated Jewish area; leaving Budapest with her parents on June 30, 1944 on the Kasztner train, ostensibly for Portugal; a brief layover in Linz, Austria; arrival at Bergen-Belsen; meager rations, poor sanitation, and frequent roll calls despite privileged treatment as members of the Kasztner group; attending a school organized by inmates; religious services on Rosh ha-Shanah; and transfer to Switzerland in December 1944 with the second Kasztner group. Mrs. J. recalls living in several places including Zurich and Geneva; the traumatic separation from her parents when attending boarding school; and emigration to the United States in 1946. She believes that she is "normal" due to her parent's provision of a constant sense of love and stability.

Author/Creator
J., Judy, 1937-
Published
Kansas City, Mo. : Midwest Center for Holocaust Education, Inc,., 1994
Interview Date
February 1, 1994.
Locale
Hungary
Budapest (Hungary)
Békés (Hungary)
Linz (Austria)
Zurich (Switzerland)
Geneva (Switzerland)
Language
English
Copies
2 copies: 3/4 in. dub; and 1/2 in. VHS with time coding.
Cite As
Judy J. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-2336). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.