The Holocaust is a tragic reminder of the massive violence and hatred that affected millions of people in the years prior to and during World War II. At least six million Jews died in concentration camps all over Europe, and many more suffered challenging experiences of Nazi rule, having to hide or relocate (“Kupferberg Holocaust Center Exhibition” (KHCE)). The recent exhibition created by Kupferberg Holocaust Center features the history of those tragic events, covering the Nazi’s strategy against “non-Aryan” nations, the development of ghettos and concentration camps, extermination practices, and eventual liberation. Significantly, the exhibition also presents survivor testimonials in the form of interviews, telling the story of those horrors from their experience (“KHCE”). Anita Weisbord and Kate Haberman are both Jewish survivors who have different experiences of going through the early stages of Hitler’s chase against Jews and the following years of WWII. Anita’s story reveals the experience of a ghetto in Vienna and further refuge before WWII with the challenges of adaptation to the new environment and reconciliation with her family. Comparatively, Kate shares her experience through concentration camps, including Auschwitz and Bromberg, her liberation, and the outcome for her family.
Anita and Kate share different experiences of the time before they were affected by the Nazi’s rule. Anita hails from Vienna, Austria, and she recalls local people welcoming Hitler in 1939 and establishing a ghetto for Jews in the city (“KHC Survivor Testimony: Anita Weisbord”). Notably, she emphasizes a sudden change in the attitude towards Jewish people, who immediately became considered “non-person” and were prohibited from visiting public venues (“KHC Survivor Testimony: Anita Weisbord”). Anita recalls her friend distancing from her because of being scared to have contact with a Jewish family. By contrast, Kate does not remember her childhood much, prior to 1944, when she turned fifteen. Kate hails from Bixad, Romania (it was Hungary in the 1930-1940s), where a community of more than sixty Jewish families lived (“KHC Survivor Testimony: Kate Haberman”). She cannot recall much of the experience from her early years, except that there was no opportunity to visit a school for the community’s children. Therefore, Anita’s story reflects on the times since Hitler’s expansion on Austria, while Kate’s experience gains peculiar details closer to the final years of WWII.
The significant life-changing experiences of the two survivors differ, as Anita’s related to refuge and relocation, while Kate’s was in the concentration camps. Anita escaped with the help of Kindertransport, a British initiative to help Jewish children leave Austria, which saved around 10.000 and took care of them until they were eighteen (“KHC Survivor Testimony: Anita Weisbord”). It was a painful experience as Anita had to leave her family, but she understood that her mother was willing to save Anita’s life. She was a teenager when coming to England, and she did not display herself as a Judaist until she was eighteen and went to London to live on her own (“KHC Survivor Testimony: Anita Weisbord”). Anita’s primary challenges were going through a culture shock in the new environment, learning a new language, and adapting to her caregiver’s requirements, such as visiting the church on Sundays. Accordingly, she had to live through the horrors of WWII with London bombings and frequent nights in a shelter.
Alternatively, Kate’s Holocaust experience became devastating, beginning in 1944 when she was taken to the Satu Mare ghetto, then to Auschwitz, and then to the concentration camp of Bromberg. Kate recalls a dreadful experience of traveling to Auschwitz locked in a cattle train with no food or water for three days (“KHC Survivor Testimony: Kate Haberman”). In Auschwitz, she and other people spent around six weeks without work, but they had to stand straight for hours every day with infamously-known Dr. Mengele picking some people every morning (“KHC Survivor Testimony: Kate Haberman”). Her sister, mother, and Kate herself never disclosed they were related because Mengele was particularly interested in relatives. Hence, they were taken to Bromberg, the concentration camp where they had to work hard every day. Kate recalls an SS man beating her up for wearing a towel on her neck as it was freezing in winter, and they had no proper clothes (“KHC Survivor Testimony: Kate Haberman”). Soon after this experience, people were finally liberated, which Kate found hard to believe; after work, they just found the Germans to disappear, and since then, they were left for themselves.
Additionally, Anita and Kate lived through different experiences regarding their families. While Anita was separated from her mother and had to live alone in England, Kate survived the camp experience with her mother and older sister. Anita’s older sister managed to escape from Austria and come to England as a maid (“KHC Survivor Testimony: Anita Weisbord”). Their father survived Dachau, and both parents eventually could come to England and reconcile with their children. By contrast, Kate lost a younger sister and father in Auschwitz, while her mother, an older sister, and three brothers survived (“KHC Survivor Testimony: Kate Haberman”). However, both Anita and Kate recall having many aunts and uncles and their families, whom they had never heard about since the Nazi’s rule.
Overall, Anita and Kate share impressive stories of their survival through the Holocaust. Both women lived in ghettos, and many of their relatives disappeared. Anita’s Holocaust challenges relate primarily to separation from her family and relocation to a foreign country that later went through war horrors. Comparatively, Kate’s Holocaust experience included survival in concentration camps, including Auschwitz and Bromberg, with the liberation from the latter and the challenges of getting back to everyday life.
Works Cited
“KHC Survivor Testimony: Anita Weisbord.” CUNYQueensborough, YouTube, Web.
“KHC Survivor Testimony: Kate Haberman.” CUNYQueensborough, YouTube, Web.
“Kupferberg Holocaust Center Exhibition.” Library Guides at Queensborough Community College, Web.