Description
Object description
Polish Jewish inmate of Warsaw, Kielce and Pionki Ghettoes, 1940-1943; Auschwitz concentration camp in 1943; Hindenburg labour camp, 1943-1944; Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, 1944-1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Chiechanaw, Poland, 1929-1942: family and memories of childhood; reasons for lack of Jewish consciousness before war; dislike of religion; stigma attached to being Jewish felt after war; story of brother; hiding and looting of possessions following German invasion, 9/1939; protection from parents; packing for journey to Warsaw; photographs from childhood; details of journey to Warsaw; accommodation; relationship with cousin and story of asking mother about sex. Aspects of period as inmate of Warsaw, Kielce and Pionki Ghettoes in Poland, 1940-1944: move into ghetto; accommodation.
REEL 2 Continues: health and rations; story of being smuggled out of ghetto; train journey to Kielce; clothing; life with aunt and uncle in Kielce Ghetto; education; stories of sexual assaults against her and story of flasher in Warsaw; arrival of brother in Kielce; evacuation to and life in Pionki; rations; story of stolen money; story of men hung in public.
REEL 3 Continues: separation of children from parents in Kielce; fate of children; problems with memory and events reminded about after war including story of girl dropping dead at Bergen-Belsen; train journey to Auschwitz. Aspects of period as inmate in Auschwitz concentration camp, Poland, 1943: arrival at and previous knowledge of camp; details of reception procedure including help received from a Kapo and reaction to scenes in showers; nights in camp; selection procedure for labour camp in Hindenburg. Aspects of period as inmate in Hindenberg labour camp, Germany, 1943-1944: work in labour camp; description of camp including accommodation; rations; story of stolen bread crust.
REEL 4 Continues: details of work in Hindenburg ammunition factory; story of sandwiches given by foreman and smuggled into camp including relationship with German worker; lack of emotions; story of jam tart; details of journey to Bergen-Bergen including methods of gaining water. Aspects of period as inmate in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, 1944-1945: story of giving away shoes; accommodation; help given while suffering from typhus; story of gaining bra and having it stolen; story of having first period after war in GB; memories of camp and its liberation; story of being told war was over and reaction. Aspects of period as civilian in Wimbledon, GB, from 1945: process of being reunited with brother; initial contact with brother.
REEL 5 Continues: story of reunion with brother; continuing problems with hunger and adjusting to normal life; help gained from headmistress and background to gaining a place in a school; civilian work as nurse; fate of parents; talking about experiences including story of losing friend after doing so; opinion of holocaust as a misleading term.