Greenman, Leon (Oral history)

British-Dutch Jewish civilian in Rotterdam, Netherlands, 9/1939-10/1942; inmate of Westerbork Transit Camp, Netherlands, 10/1942-1/1943; inmate in Auschwitz II-Birkenau Concentration Camp, 1/1943-3/1943, Auschwitz I Concentration Camp, 3/1943-9/1943 and Auschwitz III-Monowitz Concentration Camp, Poland, 9/1943-1/1945 and Buchenwald Concentration Camp, Germany, 1/1945-4/1945

REEL 1 Recollections of background in GB and Netherlands, 1910-1939: family circumstances and origins; religious character of family; hearing Oswald Mosley speak in London, 1930's; lack of anti-Semitic experiences in GB, 1930's; reaction to rise of Adolf Hitler; marriage to Esther van Dam and decision to settle in Rotterdam, Netherlands, 1935; anticipation of war, 1938. REEL 2 Continues: Recollections of German Air Force bombing of Rotterdam, Netherlands, 14/5/1940: effects on Dutch civilians of German bombing; damage to family home; devastation in city; question of reasons for German bombing of city. Recollections of period as civilian in Rotterdam, Netherlands, 5/1940-10/1942: reaction to initial sight of German troops, 5/1940; introduction of anti-Jewish restrictions; registering with German authorities as Jewish; reasons for not being called up to British or Dutch armies; reaction to wearing Star of David; attempt to gain internment as British citizen, 1941-1942. REEL 3 Continues: relations with Dutch neighbours; employment selling door to door; effects of food restrictions; continuing religious services in Jewish homes; degree of knowledge of concentration camps; lack of contact with resistance; listening to BBC; story of post-war meeting Dutch policeman who did not help Greenman to escape deportation. REEL 4 Continues: sight of shooting down of RAF reconnaissance aircraft, summer 1942; character of Allied bombing; lack of air raid shelters; frequency of Allied bombing; method of deportation of Jews. Aspects of deportation from Rotterdam to Westerbork Transit Camp, Netherlands, 8/10/1942-10/10/1942: preparations for deportation; arrival of Dutch police; reception at assembly point in Rotterdam; conditions in reception centre; question of escape; arrival at Westerbork. Recollections of period as inmate in Westerbork Transit Camp, Netherlands, 10/1942-1/1943: description of camp; role of German Jewish refugees in camp; layout of camp. REEL 5 Continues: work parties; nature of food rations; British/Dutch barracks; giving English lessons; son's illness; character of deportation administrator Kurt Schlesinger; arrival of father; deportation from camp, 1/1943. Recollections of train journey from Westerbork Transit Camp, Netherlands to Auschwitz II-Birkenau Concentration Camp, Poland, 1/1943: question of knowledge of destination; preparations for journey; role of Kurt Schlesinger in deportation of his family; son's physical condition on journey. Recollections of period as inmate in Auschwitz II-Birkenau Concentration Camp, Poland, 1/1943-3/1943: reception on arrival at camp. REEL 6 Continues: fate of wife and child; selection of able bodied men; treatment by kapos; undressing and shaving; issue of clothing; shooting of inmate; initial food rations; beating of inmate by kapos; tattooing of camp number; character of ablutions; death of first Dutch inmate; issue of striped uniform; different coloured triangles; sight of Gypsy inmates; character of kapos. REEL 7 Continues: sexual relations in camp; relations between inmates; nature of quarantine period; character of rations; method of warming barracks; lice infestation; German fear of lice; character of barracks and sleeping arrangements; living conditions in barracks; death of former neighbour; treatment of inmate who fell asleep; role shaving inmates. REEL 8 Continues: washing facilities; sharing soup with other inmates; counting dead bodies during appell; disturbances to inmate's sleep; story of finding money whilst tidying barracks; importance of luck to survival; singing for kapos; punishment of barracks for not saying good night loudly enough; attempt to treat his dysentery; problems with shoelaces; problem of night time ablutions; beating by SS man during selection. Recollections of period as inmate in Auschwitz I Concentration Camp, Poland, 3/1943-9/1943: character of march from Auschwitz II-Birkenau to Auschwitz I; arrival in camp; sharing bread with fellow inmate; proportion of Dutch inmates surviving. REEL 9 Continues: nature of barracks; infestation of fleas; character of ablution facilities; conditions in hospital; heating of barracks; results of attempt to get first bread ration; opinion of kapos; medical treatment in hospital; stealing potato from fellow inmate; importance of bread; medical experimentation he was subjected to. REEL 10 Continues: effects of medical experimentation; issue of olive ration; making knives; effect of eating olives; searching for false tooth in latrine bucket; role shaving hospital inmates; question of why Germans medically treated inmates; opinion of treatment in hospital; return to barracks; fate of those inmates too weak to work; work with cable laying kommando. REEL 11 Continues: work unloading trains; working conditions in summer; nature of work regime; punishment of inmates after somebody urinated in barracks; heavy nature of work; incident of having to sing after beating; sabotage attempts; contact with British POWs; incident of being caught talking to British POW; anti-Semitic remark by British POW; problems of unloading coal. REEL 12 Continues: problems with fleas; showering; incident of nicking kapo with razor during shaving; question of homosexuality in camp; kapo brothel; sight of SS men with pet rabbits; strongman performances by kapo; story of meeting with kapo strongman after war. REEL 13 Continues: term used by inmates to obtain food; incident of being beaten by kapo for requesting razor; incident of standing up to under-kapo; beating by kapo for keeping razor overnight. Recollections of period as inmate at Auschwitz III-Monowitz Concentration Camp, Poland,, 9/1943-1/1945: arrival in camp, 15/9/1943: lack of knowledge about camp; living conditions in barracks; description of inmate clothing; coping with cold weather; headwear worn; character of work; incident of having to unload railway wagon by himself as punishment. REEL 14 Continues: mixture of nationalities; contact with Dutch friend Jacques De Wolf; contact with Polish female inmates; songs sung in barracks; memories of Christmas Eve, 24/12/1943; incident of singing 'God Save the King'; nature of camp orchestra; reaction to music played by orchestra; story of medical treatment for injury received from kapo kicking him between the legs. REEL 15 Continues: contracting pneumonia in hospital; use of paper bandage on thigh; ruses used to prolong period in hospital; conditions in hospital; light work peeling potatoes; news about progress of war including hearing of D-Day landings, 6/1944; mortality rate amongst Dutch Jewish inmates; lack of change in SS personnel; nature of latrines. REEL 16 Continues: memories of Jon Perez; incident of nearly missing roll call; character of roll calls; method employed by escapers; question of opportunity to escape; hanging of escapees; degree of contact with Polish civilians; birds in the camp; replacement of younger SS guards by older men, 1/1945; supply of tobacco; hearing Soviet Army artillery, 1/1945. Recollections of journey from Auschwitz III-Monowitz Concentration Camp, Poland to Buchenwald Concentration Camp, Germany via Auschwitz Concentration Camp, Poland, 1/1945: move into Auschwitz I Concentration Camp; reaction to move. REEL 17 Continues: character of march to Gleiwitz; psychological state of SS guards; physical condition on march; German refugees; overnight accommodation at Gleiwitz; fight with Greek inmate; segregation of Jewish inmates in barracks; embarking onboard train; unloading dead inmates from wagons; story of friend Jaap Theeboom going insane. REEL 18 Continues: rations on journey; Czech civilians throwing food into wagons; conditions on arrival at Buchenwald Concentration Camp. Recollections of period as inmate in Buchenwald Concentration Camp, Germany, 1/1945-4/1945: psychological state on arrival; physical condition of inmates in barracks; bathing; allocation of different inmate number; sleeping arrangements; issue of rations; move to hospital; medical treatment for frostbitten feet; discussing fate of family with Appy Perils. REEL 19 Continues: contact with Danish police inmates of hospital; attempt to send letter to political department of camp; question of communication with home; condition of his feet; move to hospital barrack; memories of Albert Kongs and Oskar Rotschild; story of death of Italian inmate; preparations for evacuation of camp, 4/1945. REEL 20 Continues: disappearence of SS guards, 4/1945; orders by kapo to shave inmates, 4/1945; SS shooting into barracks, 4/1945; anti-Semitic remarks of Russian male nurse; announcement by German authorities that US troops were coming. Recollections of liberation of Buchenwald Concentration Camp, Germany, 4/1945: question of presence of SS troops in area; arrival of troops of US 89th Infantry Div; hiding of kapos; inmates foraging in German villages; organising entertainment for US troops; reaction to liberation. REEL 21 Continues: food provided by US troops; acquiring leather jacket; medical aid provided; visit to Erfurt; meeting with journalist Anne Mattheson; living conditions in camp after liberation; story of death of Oskar Rotschild. Recollections of period living in France, 1945: flight to Paris; visit to British consul; meeting with Louise White. REEL 22 Continues: period of hosptialisation in Paris; VE Day celebrations, 8/5/1945; amputation of big toe; rationing; staying with French family; contact with family. Recollections of period living in Netherlands, 1945: character of train journey to Netherlands; medical examination in Eindhoven; return to Rotterdam; reunion with father; contact with other survivors; visit to house he had shared with wife and child. Aspects of period living in GB, 1945: move to GB; death of brother; employment on markets. REEL 23 Continues: Reflections on Holocaust experiences: people's reaction to his experiences; question of importance of keeping Holocaust experiences alive; question of compensation; question of dual nationality; question wanting justice; attitude towards Germans.