- Summary
- Videotape testimony of Shevah W., who was born in Boryslav, Poland (presently Ukraine) in 1935, the youngest of three children. He recalls a wonderful childhood in a large extended family; family picnics in Truskavet︠s︡ʹ; Soviet occupation; German invasion in 1941; hiding with his family in their basement during a pogrom by Ukrainians, during which his maternal grandmother was killed; later hiding with Ukranians and Poles in several locations; ghettoization; his father building a false wall in his workshop; hiding there for seven months with his family, an aunt, and cousin; a Ukrainian woman bringing them food and water; moving to a bunker in the basement fearing discovery; the woman continuing to supply them; liberation almost two years later by Soviet troops in August 1944; an uncle, his wife, and two children returning from hiding in the forests, then an uncle and cousin who had been in a concentration camp; a family friend committing suicide (his wife and children had been killed); moving to Gliwice intending to emigrate to Palestine; his brother's departure to emigrate; traveling with his parents and sister to the Rothschild displaced persons camp in Vienna via Bratislava; joining Hashomer Hatzair; he and his sister joining their brother in Milan (his parents remained in Austria due to his father's illness); his brother's departure for Palestine; he and his sister moving to a youth house in Rome; his illegal emigration to Palestine via Naples and Genoa; attending school; and his parents and sister arriving in about 1952. Mr. W. discusses his integration into Israeli society; not sharing his experiences due to lack of interest by Israelis; trips to Poland and Germany; and his political philosophy and career.
- Author/Creator
- W., Shevah, 1935-
- Published
- Ramat Aviv, Israel : Beth Hatefutsoth, Nahum Goldman Museum of the Jewish Diaspora, 1986
- Interview Date
- October 2 and December 25, 1986.
- Locale
- Ukraine
Boryslav
Poland
Boryslav (Ukraine)
Truskavet︠s︡ʹ (Ukraine)
Gliwice (Poland)
Bratislava (Slovakia)
Milan (Italy)
Rome (Italy)
Naples (Italy)
Genoa (Italy)
Palestine
- Cite As
- Shevah W. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-1830). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.
- Other Authors/Editors
- Rozner, Raphael, interviewer.
Choshen, Dina, interviewer.
- Notes
-
This testimony is in Hebrew.
