Skip to main content

Frances S. Holocaust testimony (HVT-436) interviewed by Ora Band and Ian Russ,

Oral History | Digitized | Fortunoff Collection ID: HVT-436

Overview

Summary: Videotape testimony of Frances S., who was born in a small town in the Carpathian Mountains in 1925. She recounts her apprenticeship as a dressmaker in a larger city; Hungarian occupation in 1939; forced removal of able-bodied Jewish men; ghettoization in 1944; her father's refusal of an offer of hiding so they could remain with the Jewish community; the belief that a miracle would save them; walking with her family from the Khust ghetto to the train; separation from her family upon arrival at Auschwitz; assuming responsibility for four girls whom she helped to survive; working in a rubber factory; transfer to Ravensbrück, then Malchow; working at a mattress factory; a German supervisor's assistance in obtaining extra food; and fleeing from Berlin as the Soviets approached. Mrs. S. describes staying in a town occupied by Soviet troops; being accused of collaborating with the Germans; and traveling with her friends to Poland.
Author/Creator: S., Frances, 1925-
Published: Los Angeles, Calif. : UCLA Holocaust Documentation Archives, 1983
Interview Date: December 3, 1983.
Locale: Ukraine
Khust
Berlin (Germany)
Cite As: Frances S. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-436). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.
Other Authors/Editors: Band, Ora, interviewer.
Russ, Ian, interviewer.

Physical Details

Language: English
Copies: 2 copies: 3/4 in. dub; and 1/2 in. VHS with time coding.
Physical Description: 1 videorecording (58 min.) : col

Keywords & Subjects

Subjects (Local Yale): Hungarian occupation.
Mutual aid.
Aid by non-Jews.
Postwar experiences.
Subjects: Holocaust survivors. Video tapes. Women. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Personal narratives. World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Jewish. Jews--Ukraine--Khust. Jewish ghettos. Forced labor. Berlin (Germany) Oral histories (document genres) S., Frances,--1925- Auschwitz (Concentration camp) Ravensbrück (Concentration camp) Malchow (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/1100266
Record last modified:: 2018-06-04 13:28:00
This page:: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/hvt1100266

Additional Resources

Librarian View

Download & Licensing

Terms of Use
This record is digitized but cannot be downloaded online.

In-Person Research

Request Access from Yale University Libraries

Requires Yale University Libraries Permission
Accessing Fortunoff interviews
Log in to Request and View
About the Fortunoff Archive

Once requests are approved, you must be at a Fortunoff Access Site to view the testimony.

Contact Us

Give Feedback

Learn About the Holocaust

These additional online resources from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum will help you learn more about the Holocaust and research your family history.

Holocaust Encyclopedia

The Holocaust Encyclopedia provides an overview of the Holocaust using text, photographs, maps, artifacts, and personal histories.
Holocaust Survivors and Victims Resource Center

Research family history relating to the Holocaust and explore the Museum's collections about individual survivors and victims of the Holocaust and Nazi persecution.
Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos

Learn about over 1,000 camps and ghettos in Volumes I-III of this encyclopedia, which are available as a free PDF download. This reference provides text, photographs, charts, maps, and extensive indexes.

Further Your Research