Skip to main content

Henry B. Holocaust testimony (HVT-689) interviewed by Maryanne Kador and Gloria Demby,

Oral History | Digitized | Fortunoff Collection ID: HVT-689

Overview

Summary: Videotape testimony of Henry B., who was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1926. Mr. B. recalls his father's reluctance to emigrate; seizure of the family business in 1938; attempts to leave in 1940; forced labor; a "crazy" Polish Jew who recounted atrocities; food parcels received from the chauffeur of a Nazi politician; arrest in January 1943; transport to Birkenau; selection; an SS officer allowing his father to remain with him and his brother; transfer to Auschwitz, then Jawischowitz; arduous conditions in the coal mine; becoming friends with members of the communist underground; his father's transfer to the Auschwitz infirmary; and the camp's evacuation in early 1945. He describes the death march to Gross Rosen, Flossenbürg, Buchenwald, Ohrdruf, and back to Buchenwald; urinating on his feet to prevent gangrene; his brother's killing before arrival in Dachau; being beaten by prisoners who thought he was a deserting guard; liberation; recuperation; reunion with his surviving uncle in Berlin; and emigration to America with the Joint's help in 1947. He reflects on the role of self-discipline in his survival; the prisoner's peculiar sense of time; his son's reluctance to ask about his experiences; and his disillusionment with both "materialistic" West and "dismal" East Germany.
Author/Creator: B., Henry, 1926-
Published: New York, N.Y. : Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies at Yale, 1986
Interview Date: April 12, 1986.
Locale: Germany
Berlin (Germany)
Cite As: Henry B. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-689). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.
Other Authors/Editors: Kador, Maryanne, interviewer.
Demby, Gloria, interviewer.

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 (1 hr., 20 min.) : col

Keywords & Subjects

Subjects (Local Yale): Aid by non-Jews.
Antisemitism Prewar.
Child survivors.
Concentration camps Underground movements.
Mutual aid.
Survivor-child relations.
Subjects: Holocaust survivors. Video tapes. Men. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Personal narratives. World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Jewish. Brothers. World War, 1939-1945--Children. Fathers and sons. Forced labor. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Psychological aspects. World War, 1939-1945--Underground movements. Germany. Berlin (Germany) Death marches. Oral histories (document genres) B., Henry,--1926- Birkenau (Concentration camp) Auschwitz (Concentration camp) Gross-Rosen (Concentration camp) Flossenbürg (Concentration camp) Buchenwald (Concentration camp) Dachau (Concentration camp) Ohrdruf (Concentration camp) Jawischowitz (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/994996
Record last modified:: 2018-05-30 11:33:00
This page:: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/hvt994996

Additional Resources

Librarian View

Download & Licensing

Terms of Use
This record is digitized but cannot be downloaded online.

In-Person Research

Request Access from Yale University Libraries

Requires Yale University Libraries Permission
Accessing Fortunoff interviews
Log in to Request and View
About the Fortunoff Archive

Once requests are approved, you must be at a Fortunoff Access Site to view the testimony.

Contact Us

Give Feedback

Learn About the Holocaust

These additional online resources from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum will help you learn more about the Holocaust and research your family history.

Holocaust Encyclopedia

The Holocaust Encyclopedia provides an overview of the Holocaust using text, photographs, maps, artifacts, and personal histories.
Holocaust Survivors and Victims Resource Center

Research family history relating to the Holocaust and explore the Museum's collections about individual survivors and victims of the Holocaust and Nazi persecution.
Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos

Learn about over 1,000 camps and ghettos in Volumes I-III of this encyclopedia, which are available as a free PDF download. This reference provides text, photographs, charts, maps, and extensive indexes.

Further Your Research