A group of Jews hides out in the mountains of Slovakia following the failed Slovak uprising.
Overview
- Caption
- A group of Jews hides out in the mountains of Slovakia following the failed Slovak uprising.
Among those pictured are Olga, Josef, Erwin and Katarina Mittelman. - Date
-
1944
- Locale
- [Slovakia]
- Variant Locale
- Slovakia
- Photo Credit
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Josef and Ruth Mittelman
Rights & Restrictions
- Photo Source
-
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Copyright: United States Holocaust Memorial MuseumProvenance: Josef and Ruth Mittelman
Keywords & Subjects
Administrative Notes
- Biography
- Josef Mittelman is the son of Emil Mittelman and Olga Reichman Mittelman. He was born on January 29, 1927 in Slovenska Lupca, a small village in central Slovakia, but grew up in Brezno. His father (b. 3/11/98) owned a store that sold groceries, toys, sports equipment and building supplies, and his mother (b. 10/12/05) assisted him in the store. Josef had two younger siblings: Erwin (b. 12/19/30) and Katarina (b. 10/9/42). Josef attended public school, but in 1938, at the age of ten, his parents sent him to the Jewish school in Mukachevo, to prepare for the Gymnasium entrance exams. After the Hungarians entered Mukachevo at end of October 1938 Josef became temporarily stranded but somehow managed to return home in January 1939. He continued his studies in a public school in Brezno, and after all Jewish students were expelled, he attended a new Jewish school. In 1941, the government liquidated the family's store and sent Emil to a labor camp. He was later deported to Majdanek where he perished. Josef received a special work permit and attended a technical school to study to become a dental technician. He belonged to the Zionist youth movement, HaShomer Hatzair, which met clandestinely in the woods. In 1943 he went to Revetza to continue studying. He needed special permission to travel but was able to return home once a week. In August 1944, Slovak nationalists began an uprising. After the rebellion was suppressed, German troops entered Slovakia and began large scale Jewish deportations. Luckily, Josef's uncle had previously built a bunker with the help of a local villager and forest guard, Antal Vojtech. Josef returned home and hid in the bunker with the rest of his family. His mother and baby sister spent one day hiding in the woods. The bunker was later uncovered and Josef, his mother and siblings walked 20 km to another bunker. They hid there as part of a group of 12 people from October to January 1945 when Russians liberated them. After the war he married Ruth Neumann, a fellow survivor.
- Record last modified:
- 2004-09-23 00:00:00
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/pa1154260
