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Julia E. Holocaust testimony (HVT-2313) interviewed by Elsa Roth,

Oral History | Fortunoff Collection ID: HVT-2313

Videotape testimony of Julia E., who was born in Transylvania in 1928. She recalls her childhood in an affluent family; her family's involvement in Hashomer Hatzair; Hungarian occupation in 1940; German invasion on March 19, 1944; anti-Jewish restrictions; help from a Hungarian classmate, who remains a close friend; ghettoization; deportation to Auschwitz in May 1944; separation from her parents and brother upon arrival (she never saw her mother again); receiving three messages from her father advising them to try to leave Auschwitz; witnessing the killing of newborns to save the mothers' lives; separation from one sister upon transfer to another barrack; assistance from a Blockaltester during a brief infirmary stay; transfer with her sister to Bergen-Belsen; forced labor; transfer to Geisenheim, Kaufering, and Allach; train evacuation; passing another train from which they heard their brother's voice; liberation by United States troops; and taking shoes from an SS member, her only act of revenge. Mrs. E. recounts staying in Garmisch-Partenkirchen; traveling to Budapest; reunion with her siblings; and emigrating to the United States in 1982. She discusses the importance of her sister to her survival; continuing nightmares; a nervous breakdown when she reached the age at which her mother was killed; her brother's suicide; and her essential relationship with her daughter's family.

Author/Creator
E., Julia, 1928-
Published
Wilmette, Ill. : Holocaust Education Foundation, 1992
Interview Date
May 31, 1992.
Locale
Budapest (Hungary)
Transylvania (Romania)
Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany)
Language
English
Copies
2 copies: 3/4 in. master; and 1/2 in. VHS with time coding.
Cite As
Julia E. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-2313). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.
 
View in Yale University Library Catalog: http://hdl.handle.net/10079/bibid/4287303
Record last modified: 2018-06-04 13:28:00
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/hvt4287303