- Summary
- Videotape testimony of Zalie G., who was born in Paris, France in 1927, one of three children. She recalls a happy childhood; observing the Sabbath and kashruth; cordial relations with non-Jews; her father's arrest in 1941; her mother bribing officials for his release; anti-Jewish laws, including wearing the star; her sister joining the Resistance in Alençon; receiving papers to join relatives in the United States; her father refusing to leave; his arrest in the July 1942 Vélodrome d'hiver round-up (she never saw him again); her mother hiding during round-ups; her brother being sent to join her sister; her mother's arrest in September 1943 (she did not survive); her sister retrieving her, using false papers; their Maquis activities; arrest of their group; a severe beating; assistance from fellow prisoners; transfer to Drancy, then Auschwitz/Birkenau; no longer feeling human once she was shaved and tattooed; the birth of a child in her barrack, whom the mother was forced to drown; slave labor carrying bricks; singing to maintain her spirits; transfer with friends to Kratzau; animosity among different national groups; hospitalization; assistance from the Jewish prisoner-doctor; liberation by French and Soviet troops; learning two friends had been raped by the Soviets; returning to Paris with her group from Drancy; reunion with her brother and sister; and marriage. Ms. G. discusses being treated as a collaborator because she had survived; physical and mental health problems resulting from her experiences; the importance of her husband's support; her daughter's birth; not sharing her story with her; their difficult relationship; wonderful relationships with her grandchildren; and concerns for the future of Jews.
- Author/Creator
- G., Zalie, 1927-
- Published
- Paris, France : Témoignages pour mémoire, 1992
- Interview Date
- June 19, 1992.
- Locale
- France
Paris (France)
Alençon (France)
- Cite As
- Zalie G. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-2094). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.
- Other Authors/Editors
- Hartman, Geoffrey H., interviewer.
Welt, Dorit, interviewer.
- Notes
-
This testimony is in French.
