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Mania M. Holocaust testimony (HVT-1447) interviewed by Bernard Weinstein,

Oral History | Fortunoff Collection ID: HVT-1447

Videotape testimony of Mania M., who was born in 1919 and lived in Podgórze (Kraków), Poland, one of six children. She recounts her affluent, orthodox family; working as a bookkeeper; antisemitic harassment; German invasion; fleeing east to Mielec; returning home when overtaken by Germans; anti-Jewish restrictions; ghettoization; forced labor; marriage; deportations, including her parents and one sister; transfer to Płaszów in 1943; slave labor in the Madritsche factory; visits with her husband; becoming inured to constant killings; transfer to Auschwitz, then Aschersleben in January 1945; slave labor in an airplane factory; crafting Sabbath candles; an aunt giving her extra food; a death march; escaping with her sister-in-law and aunt; assistance from Polish forced laborers; liberation by United States troops in Bitterfeld; traveling to Prague; assistance from UNRRA and the Joint; traveling to Wels, then Bindermichl displaced persons camp to find her husband; their reunion; moving to an apartment in Bindermichl; her son's birth in 1946; and emigration to the United States in 1949. Ms. M. notes being the only member of her family to survive; her continuing faith; and sharing her experiences with her children.

Author/Creator
M., Mania, 1919-
Published
Union, N.J. : Kean College Oral Testimonies Project, 1990
Interview Date
April 19, 1990.
Locale
Poland
Kraków
Podgórze (Kraków, Poland)
Kraków (Poland)
Mielec (Poland)
Prague (Czech Republic)
Wels (Austria)
Bindermichl (Linz, Austria)
Bitterfeld (Germany)
Language
English
Copies
4 copies: 3/4 in. dub; Betacam SP restoration master; Betacam SP restoration submaster; and 1/2 in. VHS with time coding.
Cite As
Mania M. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-1447). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.