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Sam H. Holocaust testimony (HVT-658)

Oral History | Digitized | Fortunoff Collection ID: HVT-658

Overview

Summary: Videotape testimony of Sam H., who was born in Dęblin, Poland in 1935. He describes his happy childhood in an orthodox family; German invasion; his father being beaten and humiliated by Nazis; ghettoization; hiding to avoid deportation; being smuggled into Dęblin concentration camp by his sister; liquidation of the ghetto as Soviet troops approached; deportation to Częstochowa; witnessing a mass shooting of other children; prisoners cherishing him as one of the few surviving children; being helped and fed by his sister, brother-in-law, and another prisoner; liberation by Soviet troops; returning to Dęblin; leaving after learning Jews were being killed; and living in an orphanage in Lublin. Mr. H. recalls adoption by an American family; his younger sister's adoption by another; trying to be like other children, although he felt ninety years old; reluctance to speak about his experience; recently overcoming his sense of shame concerning his past; and discussing his experiences with his sister and daughter. He notes stories and songs he wrote.
Author/Creator: H., Sam, 1935-
Published: Wilmette, Ill. : Holocaust Education Foundation, 1986
Interview Date: February 2, 1986.
Locale: Poland
Dęblin
Dęblin (Warsaw, Poland)
Lublin (Poland)
Cite As: Sam H. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-658). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.
Notes: This videorecording has background audio interference.

Physical Details

Language: English
Copies: 3 copies: 3/4 in. master; 3/4 in. dub; and 1/2 in. VHS with time coding.
Physical Description: 1 videorecording (1 hr., 9 min.) : col

Keywords & Subjects

Subjects (Local Yale): Child survivors.
Hiding.
Mass killings.
Survivor-child relations.
Mutual aid.
Antisemitism Postwar.
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. World War, 1939-1945--Atrocities. Jewish ghettos. Jews--Poland--Dęblin. Orphanages--Poland. Adoptees. Poland. Dęblin (Warsaw, Poland) Lublin (Poland) Oral histories (document genres) Concentration camp inmates--Family relationships. H., Sam,--1935- Częstochowa (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/1108239
Record last modified:: 2018-05-29 11:58:00
This page:: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/hvt1108239

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