Rita S. Holocaust testimony (HVT-3412) [videorecording] / interviewed by Eva Lezzi and Angela Reinhard, December 8, 1995.

Potsdam, Germany : Moses Mendelssohn Zentrum für europäisch-jüdische Studien, Universität Potsdam, 1995.

1 videorecording (2 hr., 50 min.) : col.

German

This testimony is in German.

This testimony or excerpts from it cannot be publicly broadcast during the lifetime of the donor.

Videotape testimony of Rita S., who was born in Berlin, Germany in 1935 to a Jewish mother and non-Jewish father. She recalls living with her maternal grandparents; close bonds with them and her maternal uncle; her father's brief military service in 1939 which protected them; having to wear the "star" beginning in 1941; beatings from children on the street; deportation of her uncle, his wife and children, and her grandparents in 1942 (only her uncle survived); being forced to move in 1943; assistance from prostitutes in the neighborhood; her father's forced labor service (they knew he was alive because they were not deported); her mother's boss allowing her to hide in the work area when she was ill; removing their stars to go to shelters during bombings; returning to their apartment after liberation; her uncle's return; her father's return in 1946; and his conversion to Judaism in 1950. Mrs. S. discusses continuing fears resulting from her experiences; her uncle's reluctance to share his camp experiences; her very close relationship with her parents; difficulty coping with their deaths; and sharing her story with her son and husband.

June 01, 2002

Rita S. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-3412). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.

Rita S. Holocaust Testimony (HVT-3412). Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale University Library.

Oral histories (document genres)