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Oscar F. Holocaust testimony (HVT-1197) interviewed by Jane Eger and Gabriele Schiff,

Oral History | Fortunoff Collection ID: HVT-1197

Videotape testimony of Oscar F., who was born in Zawalów, Poland in 1921, one of eight children. He recalls Soviet occupation in 1939; German invasion in 1941; help from a former schoolmate who was in the SS; round-ups by Jewish police appointed by the Judenrat; escaping from a labor camp with assistance from a non-Jew; moving with his family into the Podhajce ghetto; hiding with his brother during "aktions"; his mother lighting Sabbath candles despite the constant fear; escaping to the woods with friends; learning the ghetto was liquidated; seeking and finding many other escapees in the woods; leading them to a hiding place (his sisters, brother-in-law, and neighbors were among the escapees); hiding in bunkers; mass killings of Jews in hiding by Ukrainians resulting in frequently changing their locations; assistance from non-Jews, especially Jehovah's Witnesses; and liberation by Soviet troops in 1944. Mr. F. describes returning to Zawalów with his siblings; traveling to Hungary and Austria; living in the Linz displaced persons camp; and emigration to the United States. He discusses his continuing religious beliefs and shows family photographs.

Author/Creator
F., Oscar, 1921-
Published
New York, N.Y. : Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, 1989
Interview Date
May 6, 1989.
Locale
Ukraine
Pidhaĭt︠s︡i.
Poland
Zawalów (Poland)
Language
English
Copies
3 copies: 3/4 in. master; 3/4 in. dub; and 1/2 in. VHS with time coding.
Cite As
Oscar F. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-1197). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.
 
View in Yale University Library Catalog: http://hdl.handle.net/10079/bibid/1100290
Record last modified: 2018-06-04 13:27:00
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/hvt1100290