- Summary
- A follow-up, directed videotape testimony of Leo G., whose first testimony was recorded in 1980. Mr. G. discusses attending survivor gatherings; pervasive memories; his futile attempt to find his brother's body after liberation; pain upon viewing photographs from his hometown at a kibbutz founded by Będzin survivors; regretting that he cannot remember the names of those he buried in camps in order to tell their relatives; his agony imagining his parents' and siblings' suffering; constantly seeing their faces; knowing other people can sympathize, but never understand; being left for dead after a beating en route to Bergen-Belsen; encounters with friends in Belsen who were shocked that he was alive; many factors, including luck, kapos, guards, extra food, and work assignments, which helped him survive but he still cannot explain his survival; fury upon learning a Dora/Nordhausen guard was in the United States; keeping busy to escape seeing the faces of the dead; being too weak to take revenge after liberation; living in the Bergen-Belsen displaced persons camp; the inability of anyone to convey the personal suffering inflicted during the Holocaust or of listeners to really comprehend; reluctance to share his experiences with his children; incidents which he cannot share with anyone; and concerns for his family.
- Author/Creator
- G., Leo, 1923-
- Published
- New Haven, Conn. : Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, 1988
- Interview Date
- March 11, 1988.
- Locale
- Będzin (Poland)
Dora (Germany : Concentration camp)
Nordhausen (Germany : Concentration camp)
- Cite As
- Leo G. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-977). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.
- Other Authors/Editors
- Langer, Lawrence L., interviewer.
Kline, Dana L., interviewer.
- Notes
-
Due to the fact that this testimony contains significant dialogue between the witness and the interviewers, two versions were produced at the time of the taping. One version has the camera focused solely on the witness; the second has two cameras alternating between the witness and the interviewers. The interviewers' questions are based on their study of the original testimony as well as a discussion of the witness's memories of the first testimony, its impact on his life, and general issues concerning memory and language.
Associated material: Leo G. Holocaust testimony (HVT-158), Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.
