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Joseph P. Holocaust testimony (HVT-3465) interviewed by Yannis Thanassekos and Michel Rosenfeldt,

Oral History | Fortunoff Collection ID: HVT-3465

Videotape testimony of Joseph P., a Catholic, who was born in Bonheiden, Belgium in 1924. He recalls his father's death in 1935 from World War I injuries; German invasion in May 1940; fleeing to France; returning to Belgium via Poperinge; seeing Hitler and other high German officers there; visiting his grandmother in Arlon to obtain food; hiding a Jewish family in 1942; having them leave when exposure was imminent; joining the Resistance; broadcasting to the British from a clandestine radio in their home; arrest on January 3, 1944 with his brother, sister, and mother; separation from his brother after seeing him in terrible condition from being tortured; imprisonment in St. Gilles prison (his mother and sister were released soon); two months solitary confinement; transfer to Bourg Leopold on July 9; liberation by the Red Cross on September 5; traveling to Brussels; and reunion with his family (his brother had escaped and was hidden). Mr. P. notes praying in prison; never discussing the war experience with his family; physical and emotional difficulties for years afterward; recently finding one of the Jews they had hidden, who blamed their family for not keeping them; and hoping to share his story with his grandchildren.

Author/Creator
P., Joseph, 1924-
Published
Brussels, Belgium : Fondation Auschwitz, 1995
Interview Date
March 15, 1995.
Locale
Belgium
Bonheiden (Belgium)
Poperinge (Belgium)
Arlon (Belgium)
Brussels (Belgium)
Language
French
Copies
2 copies: 3/4 in. dub; and 1/2 in. VHS with time coding.
Cite As
Joseph P. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-3465). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.
 
View in Yale University Library Catalog: http://hdl.handle.net/10079/bibid/4291793
Record last modified: 2018-05-29 11:47:00
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/hvt4291793