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Bill G. Holocaust testimony (HVT-3060) interviewed by Sandy Hayden,

Oral History | Fortunoff Collection ID: HVT-3060

Videotape testimony of Bill G., who was born in Satu Mare, Romania in 1930. He recalls his large and close, extended family; pervasive antisemitism; Hungarian occupation in 1940; anti-Jewish measures; his parents' disbelief that anything could happen to them; his older brother moving to Budapest; German occupation in 1944; ghettoization; deportation with his parents and sister; German guards taking over from Hungarians in Košice; separation from his family in Birkenau (he never saw his mother again); his initial psychological trauma; help from prisoners in adjusting; his decision to be mentally tough; transfer to a children's barrack in Auschwitz; deportation to Meldorf; slave labor; assistance from two German guards; helping two Hungarian boys; evacuation by train; an unsuccessful escape attempt; and liberation by United States troops. Mr. G. recounts Red Cross assistance; reunion with his father; their return to Satu Mare; learning his brother and sister had survived; traveling to Germany with his brother in March 1946; emigrating to Canada with a children's transport; his siblings and father joining him; and marriage in 1962. Mr. G. discusses the importance of luck to his survival, and sharing his experiences with his children.

Author/Creator
G., Bill, 1930-
Published
Vancouver, B.C. : Vancouver Holocaust Centre Society, 1984
Interview Date
March 21, 1984.
Locale
Romania
Satu Mare (Harghita)
Satu Mare (Harghita, Romania)
Košice (Slovakia)
Language
English
Copies
2 copies: 3/4 in. dub; and 1/2 in. VHS with time coding.
Cite As
Bill G. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-3060). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.
 
View in Yale University Library Catalog: http://hdl.handle.net/10079/bibid/4290285
Record last modified: 2018-05-30 11:44:00
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/hvt4290285