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Leon J. Holocaust testimony (HVT-1718) interviewed by Bonnie Dwork and Kathy Strochlic,

Oral History | Fortunoff Collection ID: HVT-1718

Videotape testimony of Leon J., who was born in Łódź, Poland in 1917. He recalls serving in the Polish army; German invasion; capture; forced labor as a POW; return to Poland in April 1940; ghettoization; obtaining a privileged position; deportation with his mother to Auschwitz in August 1944 (his two brothers remained behind); transfer to Braunschweig days later; slave labor in a car factory; train transport to Ravensbrück in February 1945, then to Ludwigslust in April; liberation by United States troops on May 2; living in a displaced persons camp; learning his brothers had survived; marriage; traveling to Bari, Italy; emigration to Israel in 1948; working in the food service industry; serving in the Sinai Campaign; and emigration with his wife and children to the United States in 1958 to join his brothers. Mr. J. discusses building a model of the Łódź ghetto; his son's interest in the Holocaust; and his daughter's lack of interest.

Author/Creator
J., Leon, 1917-
Published
New York, N.Y. : A Living Memorial to the Holocaust-Museum of Jewish Heritage, 1990
Interview Date
November 5, 1990.
Locale
Germany
Poland
Łódź
Łódź (Poland)
Bari (Italy)
Israel
Language
English
Copies
2 copies: 3/4 in. dub; and 1/2 in. VHS with time coding.
Cite As
Leon J. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-1718). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.