"My Story"

Sol Graf (Zoltan Grof, Shlomo Graf) was born in Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary, in 1930. He was an only child. His father, Izidor, suffered from tuberculosis and his mother, Gizella, ran the family store, selling vegetables, fruit, and dairy products. In May 1944, the family was deported to the Moson ghetto, but quickly deported to the larger ghetto in Gyor. At the beginning of June 1944, the family was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, and were all separated. Sol's father perished in Auschwitz. Sol was sent to the children's barrack of the Roma camp, but was later deported to Auschwitz I. He was soon deported out of Auschwitz altogether and was transferred frequently between camps. By the time he was liberated in Gunskirchen in May 1945, Sol had been in the Sachsenhausen, Lieberose, and Mauthausen concentration camps. He was briefly hospitalized in Wells, Austria, before returning to Hungary, where he reunited with his mother who had also survived. He was briefly involved in currency trading immediately after the war. In the summer of 1946, he was part of an illegal immigration to Palestine but was luckily allowed to disembark in Palestine. During the War of Independence, he fought with the Israeli Navy, remaining in the military until 1966. After he left the miltary, he emigrated to the United States and lives outside of New York City.