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Irene S. Holocaust testimony (HVT-98) interviewed by Laurel Vlock,

Oral History | Digitized | Fortunoff Collection ID: HVT-98

Overview

Summary: Videotape testimony of Irene S., who was born in 1925 in the Galician town of Vizezhany and grew up in Grudziadz, Poland. She describes her life as the daughter of a prominent local musician; her family's move to Białystok in 1938; and their life there under Russian and German occupation. She speaks of the ghettoization of Białystok; ghetto life; her underground activities there; and her capture and transport to Majdanek by way of Treblinka. She tells of her experiences in Majdanek; in a small nearby labor camp; in Auschwitz; and as a slave laborer in Germany where she was liberated by the Americans in Kaunitz. Mrs. S. notes the fates of family members; postwar experiences working as a translator; and her emigration to the United States. She also makes reference to Jewish self-deception during the Holocaust; sings songs sung by Jews during the war, including some of her own composition; and asserts her belief in the possibility of a more humane world.
Author/Creator: S., Irene, 1925-
Published: New Haven, Conn. : Holocaust Survivors Film Project, 1980
Interview Date: April 18, 1980.
Locale: Poland
Białystok
Grudziądz (Poland)
Cite As: Irene S. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-98). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.
Other Authors/Editors: Vlock, Laurel, interviewer.
Notes: Unpublished finding aid available in repository; 1/2 in. VHS is linked to finding aid by time coding.

Physical Details

Language: English
Copies: 3 copies: 3/4 in. master; 3/4 in. dub; and 1/2 in. VHS with time coding.
Physical Description: 1 videorecording (2 hrs., 18 min.) : col

Keywords & Subjects

Subjects (Local Yale): Resistance.
Subjects: Holocaust survivors. Video tapes. Women. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Personal narratives. World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Jewish. Forced labor. Jews--Poland--Białystok. World War, 1939-1945--Underground movements--Poland. Concentration camps--Songs and music. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Songs and music. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Psychological aspects. Jewish ghettos. Poland. Grudziądz (Poland) Jewish councils. Oral histories (document genres) S., Irene,--1925- Treblinka (Concentration camp) Majdanek (Concentration camp) Auschwitz (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/616893
Record last modified:: 2018-05-29 11:58:00
This page:: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/hvt616893

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