Overview
- Summary
- Videotape testimony of Leslie K., who was born in Berlin, Germany in 1927. He recalls growing up in Oradea; antisemitism; Hungarian occupation; anti-Jewish laws; German occupation in April 1944; ghettoization; deportation to Auschwitz/Birkenau; remaining with his brother and a cousin; slave labor in a coal mine; learning about the extermination process, but repressing it; extermination of the Zigeunerlager (Gypsy Lager); difficulty communicating with other prisoners since he did not speak Yiddish; learning of the Sonderkommando revolt from an escapee (a former teacher) who joined his barrack; public hanging of a group organizing an uprising; sharing stolen food with his cousin and brother; evacuation to Gross-Rosen, then Dachau in January 1945; transfer a month later to Waldlager; hospitalization; his brother smuggling food to him; evacuation of his brother and cousin; liberation by United States troops; a long recovery; reunion with his brother (his cousin was killed); traveling to Budapest to join their uncle; returning to Oradea; learning their sister had perished; fleeing to refugee camps in the American zone; emigration to the United States; marriage to a survivor; and serving in the U.S. military. Mr. K. discusses camp life, including preoccupation with food (mentally cooking); his emotional letdown after liberation; and nightmares. He shows photographs.
- Published
- New York, N.Y. : A Living Memorial to the Holocaust-Museum of Jewish Heritage, 1992
- Interview Date
- February 4, 1992.
- Locale
- Romania
Oradea
Berlin (Germany)
Germany
Oradea (Romania)
Budapest (Hungary) - Cite As
- Leslie K. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-1746). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.
Physical Details
- Language
- English
- Copies
- 2 copies: 3/4 in. dub; and 1/2 in. VHS with time coding.
- Physical Description
- 1 videorecording (2 hr., 26 min.) : col
Keywords & Subjects
- Subjects (Local Yale)
- Child survivors.
Antisemitism Prewar.
Hungarian occupation.
Hospitals in concentration camps.
Concentration camps Revolts.
Concentration camps Underground movements.
Mutual aid.
Postwar experiences.
Postwar effects. - Subjects
- Holocaust survivors. Video tapes. Men. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Personal narratives. World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Jewish. World War, 1939-1945--Children. Jewish ghettos. Jews--Romania--Oradea. Forced labor. Concentration camps--Psychological aspects. Concentration camps--Sociological aspects. World War, 1939-1945--Atrocities. Brothers. Concentration camp inmates--Family relationships. Refugee camps. Berlin (Germany) Germany. Oradea (Romania) Budapest (Hungary) Oral histories (document genres) K., Leslie,--1927- Auschwitz (Concentration camp) Birkenau (Concentration camp) Gross-Rosen (Concentration camp) Dachau (Concentration camp) Waldlager V (Concentration camp)
Administrative Notes
- Holder of Originals
-
Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies
- Special Collection
-
Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies
- Link to Yale University Library Catalog:
- http://hdl.handle.net/10079/bibid/4317750
- Record last modified:
- 2018-05-30 11:33:00
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/hvt4317750
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