[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:10.22,0:00:15.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I am here because I am witness\Nto the horrific events
Dialogue: 0,0:00:15.08,0:00:19.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that befell European Jewry\Nduring the Second World War.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:20.82,0:00:23.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I experienced some of them:
Dialogue: 0,0:00:24.21,0:00:30.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,life in a ghetto, life as a hidden child,\Nas a slave labourer
Dialogue: 0,0:00:30.61,0:00:33.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and in two concentration camps.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.83,0:00:38.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm one of those fast disappearing\Nnumbers of Holocaust survivors
Dialogue: 0,0:00:38.94,0:00:43.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who can say, "I saw it. I was there."
Dialogue: 0,0:00:44.45,0:00:50.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My task this morning is to condense\Nfive and a half years and aftermath
Dialogue: 0,0:00:50.93,0:00:57.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,into 18 minutes, so I've had\Na very difficult job to select.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:58.66,0:01:03.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was born in Poland\Nin a town called Piotrków,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:04.32,0:01:07.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,actually Piotrków Trybunalski,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:08.00,0:01:11.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which had a population of about 55,000,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:11.87,0:01:15.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of whom some 15,000 were Jewish.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.81,0:01:18.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There were several synagogues.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:18.20,0:01:19.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is the Great Synagogue,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:19.57,0:01:24.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a splendid building\Nwhich dates back to 1793.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.26,0:01:26.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was badly damaged during the war.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:27.69,0:01:29.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was the middle child of three,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:29.89,0:01:33.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with an older brother, Ben,\Nand a younger sister, Łucja.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:33.36,0:01:37.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My father had a flour mill -\Nhe was a partner in a flour mill.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.89,0:01:42.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My mother was a housewife\Nwho looked after us at home.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:42.73,0:01:45.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I had relatives in several nearby towns,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:45.49,0:01:48.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we used to visit\Nand spend holidays together.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:48.96,0:01:55.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I started my education at nursery,\Nthe equivalent of infants, when I was four
Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.43,0:01:59.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and made many friends.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:59.97,0:02:03.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I moved up to junior school\Nat the age of six.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:03.66,0:02:05.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We observed the Jewish festivals,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:05.86,0:02:11.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and in short, I was living\Na normal happy life in a loving family
Dialogue: 0,0:02:11.58,0:02:13.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at the age of eight.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.29,0:02:18.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But in 1939, on the 1st of September,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.49,0:02:21.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when the German army invaded Poland,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:21.80,0:02:24.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my world collapsed.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:26.10,0:02:29.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My hometown, being near the border,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.05,0:02:33.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was attacked immediately\Nby Stuka dive bombers,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:33.34,0:02:36.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which had small sirens\Nattached to the wings
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.90,0:02:39.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to make a frightening noise.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:39.36,0:02:44.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The bombs had whistles\Nattached to them at the fins,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:44.49,0:02:48.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all designed to create panic,\Nwhich they did.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:49.19,0:02:52.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Polish army was no match\Nfor the Germans,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:52.48,0:02:56.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so Piotrków was very quickly overrun.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:57.08,0:03:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The occupying troops started\Na campaign of looting and terror.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:03.86,0:03:06.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,People were attacked for no reason at all.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:06.100,0:03:10.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Someone we knew,\Nmy father's accountant, was shot,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:10.97,0:03:16.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and his body was left lying\Nin a block of flats for a whole week.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:17.36,0:03:21.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The German authorities\Nquickly imposed restrictions:
Dialogue: 0,0:03:21.94,0:03:24.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all radios were confiscated,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:24.46,0:03:27.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so we were isolated\Nfrom the outside world,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:28.32,0:03:31.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and valuables had to be handed in.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:31.70,0:03:34.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Jews were placed under curfew
Dialogue: 0,0:03:34.78,0:03:40.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and were not allowed to walk\Non certain streets,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:40.14,0:03:43.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as this sign shows here.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:43.74,0:03:49.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We were also required to wear\Nan armband with the Star of David,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:49.55,0:03:51.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that is shown here.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:52.24,0:03:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Piotrków was the first town\Nin Poland to have a ghetto.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.48,0:04:03.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At the beginning of November,\Nall the Jews were removed from their homes
Dialogue: 0,0:04:03.37,0:04:07.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and herded into a small area of the town
Dialogue: 0,0:04:07.85,0:04:13.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,into which some 10,000 Jews\Nfrom surrounding areas were also packed,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.92,0:04:17.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so it immediately became very overcrowded.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:19.42,0:04:23.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There could be as many\Nas three families to a room.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.74,0:04:27.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Malnutrition and the inadequate\Nsanitary conditions
Dialogue: 0,0:04:28.06,0:04:32.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,caused much illness\Nand many epidemic diseases,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:32.35,0:04:36.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which in turn caused thousands of deaths.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:37.30,0:04:41.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This street sign\Nwith skull and crossbones,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:41.50,0:04:43.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which I remember very well,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:43.63,0:04:45.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,points to the ghetto.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:46.26,0:04:48.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Although there were frequent round-ups
Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.63,0:04:52.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and people were being sent away\Nto various camps,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.31,0:04:57.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the main deportation came\Nin the autumn of 1942,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:57.08,0:05:02.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I only managed to avoid it\Nbecause my father and my uncle
Dialogue: 0,0:05:02.61,0:05:08.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,paid for my cousin Idzia and me to stay\Nwith a Polish family, the Maciejewskis,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:08.98,0:05:12.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in a nearby town, Częstochowa,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:14.03,0:05:16.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where we lived as Christians.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:16.61,0:05:20.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, this is a slide of my cousin Idzia.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:22.15,0:05:28.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This shows you where Częstochowa was\Nin relation to my hometown.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:28.99,0:05:32.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We felt very vulnerable and scared
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.93,0:05:37.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because there was actually a reward\Nfor turning in hidden Jews,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:37.83,0:05:42.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and Idzia, an only child,\Nwas very homesick
Dialogue: 0,0:05:42.12,0:05:44.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and begged to be taken back.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:44.67,0:05:46.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So after some time,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:46.25,0:05:52.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Maciejewskis supposedly\Ntook her back to Polish friends
Dialogue: 0,0:05:52.92,0:05:57.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who she said were hiding\Nher parents' valuables.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:58.68,0:06:00.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the meantime,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:00.05,0:06:06.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,22,000 people had been deported\Nto the extermination camp of Treblinka,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:07.98,0:06:11.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where they were murdered immediately.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:11.10,0:06:16.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And what came to be called\N"the big ghetto" was liquidated.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:17.01,0:06:21.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The remaining inhabitants,\Nmainly those with work permits,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:21.83,0:06:25.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,were confined to a much smaller area,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:25.86,0:06:28.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and when it felt safe,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:28.01,0:06:33.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my father arranged for me to return\Nto what we called "the small ghetto."
Dialogue: 0,0:06:34.38,0:06:39.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When I arrived, I found that although\Nthe valuables had been collected,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:39.59,0:06:42.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Idzia had not been returned.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:42.64,0:06:47.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There was nothing my distraught uncle\Nand aunt could do about it,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:47.98,0:06:51.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we never found out\Nwhat happened to Idzia.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:51.29,0:06:55.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Then, after only a few weeks,\Nin early December,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:55.92,0:07:01.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,more than 500 women and children,\Nincluding my mother and younger sister,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:02.05,0:07:06.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,were rounded up and imprisoned\Nin the desecrated synagogue
Dialogue: 0,0:07:06.70,0:07:10.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for about a week
Dialogue: 0,0:07:10.06,0:07:15.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,without food, water,\Nwarmth or hygienic facilities.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:15.56,0:07:22.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And at dawn, on Sunday,\Nthe 20th of December, 1942,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:22.15,0:07:27.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they were marched in groups of 50\Nto the nearby Rakow Forest
Dialogue: 0,0:07:28.20,0:07:34.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and brutally murdered\Nin front of newly-dug mass graves.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:34.61,0:07:39.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Only my mother's quick thinking\Nsaved me from being among them.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:41.50,0:07:46.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Then my aunt Irene Helfgott,\Nwhose husband had been shot,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:46.19,0:07:48.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was deported to a labour camp,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:48.57,0:07:52.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I was left\Nto look after my cousin Ann,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:54.40,0:07:57.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my aunt's five-year-old daughter.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:57.07,0:08:00.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Then, there was the final selection.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:00.30,0:08:05.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Everyone without work permits,\Nwhich included me and Ann,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:05.49,0:08:10.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,were lined up outside the ghetto,\Nwaiting to be loaded onto trucks.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:11.23,0:08:14.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We were guarded, none too gently,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:14.95,0:08:18.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by police and soldiers with rifles
Dialogue: 0,0:08:18.66,0:08:21.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,supervised by a German officer.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:22.03,0:08:25.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I don't know what gave me\Nthe idea or the courage,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:25.60,0:08:27.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I stepped out of line,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:27.100,0:08:29.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,walked up to him,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:29.68,0:08:34.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,explained that I had been separated\Nfrom my father and brother
Dialogue: 0,0:08:34.57,0:08:38.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and asked if I could go back\Ninto the ghetto.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:38.66,0:08:41.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He looked at me with amazement,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:41.42,0:08:42.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then smiled
Dialogue: 0,0:08:43.95,0:08:47.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and told one of the policemen\Nto take me back inside.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:47.95,0:08:52.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On the way, after an argument,\NI managed to collect my cousin Ann too.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:52.96,0:08:59.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All those remaining had work permits\Nand were sent to two local labour camps,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:59.58,0:09:02.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the ghetto was liquidated.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:02.29,0:09:06.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My father and brother were allocated\Nto the local plywood factory,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:06.97,0:09:10.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where, through an unbelievable\Nstroke of luck,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:10.24,0:09:13.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I also managed to go together with them.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:14.71,0:09:18.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So at the age of twelve,\NI became a slave labourer.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:19.27,0:09:20.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For almost two years,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:20.79,0:09:25.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was working with machines that made\Nplywood huts for the German army.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:26.65,0:09:32.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We did not live together as a family;\Nmen and women were housed separately.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:33.29,0:09:38.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,While I was out at work, other women\Nin the barracks kept an eye on Ann.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:39.12,0:09:44.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Living conditions were grim,\Nand food was at barely subsistence level,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:44.79,0:09:48.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but somehow we managed to keep going.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:48.90,0:09:54.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Then, towards the end of 1944,\Nthe final deportation took place.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:55.58,0:10:00.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My father and brother were sent\Nto Buchenwald with the men,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:01.03,0:10:05.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Ann and I, two aunts\Nand a number of my friends
Dialogue: 0,0:10:05.04,0:10:09.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,were deported with the women\Nto Ravensbrück concentration camp,\N
Dialogue: 0,0:10:10.13,0:10:13.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which was in Germany, north of Berlin.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:13.20,0:10:18.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Although conditions\Nhad been constantly deteriorating
Dialogue: 0,0:10:18.34,0:10:23.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and at times we felt\Nthat they could not get any worse,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:23.31,0:10:26.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,somehow we managed to retain our hope.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:27.35,0:10:33.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But when we arrived in Ravensbrück,\Nwe felt that we would not survive.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:33.09,0:10:38.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We had to queue up\Nand all our details were recorded.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:38.75,0:10:40.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Then we had to undress,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:40.94,0:10:43.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,everything was taken away from us,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:43.83,0:10:46.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,our heads were shaved,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:46.45,0:10:49.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we went through cold communal showers
Dialogue: 0,0:10:50.59,0:10:53.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and were given\Nthe concentration camp garb,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:53.46,0:10:59.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which consisted of a thin striped skirt,\Njacket and a pair of clogs.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:00.33,0:11:05.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When we emerged at the other end,\Nwe could not even recognise one another.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:05.84,0:11:08.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We all looked the same.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:08.83,0:11:13.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Our personalities, our very souls\Nhad been taken from us.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:14.24,0:11:17.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And at that moment, we lost hope.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:18.67,0:11:23.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One of my aunts, Frania Klein,\Ndied within a few days,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:24.20,0:11:29.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and my best friend, Pema Blachman,\Ndied soon after that.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:29.30,0:11:31.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,People were just giving up.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:32.66,0:11:35.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was in Ravensbrück\Nfor a little over two months,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:35.83,0:11:40.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and my main memories\Nare of the interminable Appells -
Dialogue: 0,0:11:40.93,0:11:46.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when we had to stand on the parade ground\Nand be counted repeatedly
Dialogue: 0,0:11:46.21,0:11:48.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,until the numbers were correct -
Dialogue: 0,0:11:49.24,0:11:51.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the meagre daily rations -
Dialogue: 0,0:11:51.29,0:11:55.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,half a slice of something dark\Ncalled "bread,"
Dialogue: 0,0:11:55.28,0:11:57.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,some grey liquid called "soup"
Dialogue: 0,0:11:57.86,0:12:01.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and some brown liquid\Ncalled "ersatz coffee."
Dialogue: 0,0:12:02.92,0:12:06.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But little did we know what was to come.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:06.57,0:12:11.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In February 1945, as the Russian\Narmy was approaching,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:11.03,0:12:16.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Germans became anxious\Nto hide the evidence of their evil deeds.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:17.07,0:12:20.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we were marched\Nto the cattle trucks again,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:20.43,0:12:25.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and at the end of that journey,\Nwe found ourselves in Bergen-Belsen.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:25.94,0:12:29.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When we arrived, the place\Nwas so overcrowded
Dialogue: 0,0:12:29.41,0:12:33.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that we were put up\Nin a large tent on bare ground,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:33.34,0:12:38.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and this in mid-winter\Nwith temperatures well below freezing.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:39.20,0:12:42.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Next morning, we entered the main camp,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:42.63,0:12:47.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the scene that faced us\Ndefies description.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:47.85,0:12:51.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was like something out of hell.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:51.24,0:12:54.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There was a kind of smog and a smell
Dialogue: 0,0:12:54.51,0:12:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and skeletal figures shuffling around\Naimlessly like zombies.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:00.45,0:13:02.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There were dead bodies everywhere
Dialogue: 0,0:13:02.70,0:13:09.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and large piles of twisted,\Ndecaying, decomposing corpses.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:11.63,0:13:14.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Typhus and other diseases were raging.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:14.83,0:13:17.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Food was almost non-existent.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:17.85,0:13:23.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We were allocated to a hut,\Nbut the accommodation was so overcrowded
Dialogue: 0,0:13:23.25,0:13:29.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that the hut which would have held 80\Nmight contain hundreds of people,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:29.83,0:13:31.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as many as a thousand.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:32.53,0:13:34.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Then, quite by chance,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:34.88,0:13:38.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I heard that there was a children's hut\Nsomewhere in the camp,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:38.61,0:13:41.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so I set out to find it.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:41.02,0:13:45.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is the hut, 211, the children's hut.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:45.57,0:13:49.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When we got there, we were interviewed\Nby the people in charge,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:49.49,0:13:51.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Doctor Bimko and Sister Luba.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:52.98,0:13:55.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And although at first\Nthey would not accept us,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:55.82,0:13:58.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because they also were very overcrowded,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:58.64,0:14:03.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with some persistence, I managed\Nto get my cousin and myself admitted.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:05.18,0:14:06.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The children were mostly Dutch,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:06.90,0:14:10.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but there were some\Nother nationalities too.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:11.30,0:14:14.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I still have a vivid picture
Dialogue: 0,0:14:15.07,0:14:17.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the view from my window:
Dialogue: 0,0:14:18.56,0:14:22.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there was a shed for dead bodies\Nright opposite us
Dialogue: 0,0:14:22.65,0:14:26.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and a constant procession all day.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:26.59,0:14:30.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At first, bodies were brought\Nin rather dilapidated carts,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:31.68,0:14:36.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but after that, they were\Ndragged along in blankets,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:36.05,0:14:42.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then it finally degenerated into\Na body being just dragged along by a limb
Dialogue: 0,0:14:43.40,0:14:46.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and just thrown into this hut.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:46.98,0:14:51.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Just as awful was that the people\Nwho were forced to do this
Dialogue: 0,0:14:51.100,0:14:54.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,were barely alive themselves.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:55.69,0:14:59.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Although the conditions in these\Nchildren's homes were marginally better,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:59.78,0:15:03.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I went down with typhus\Nand was extremely ill.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:03.68,0:15:08.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was unaware of my surroundings\Nfor quite some days
Dialogue: 0,0:15:08.93,0:15:11.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and must have been starting to recover
Dialogue: 0,0:15:11.88,0:15:13.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when one day,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:13.08,0:15:15.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in an upper bunk by the window,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:15.25,0:15:19.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I saw some emaciated people\Nrunning towards the gate,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:20.50,0:15:25.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and all I could think of was,\NHow did they have the strength to run?
Dialogue: 0,0:15:26.36,0:15:29.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That was the moment of liberation,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:29.14,0:15:35.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when the British troops entered the camp\Non the 15th of April, 1945.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:36.43,0:15:39.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Within two days, a hospital was set up,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:39.92,0:15:43.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the medical nursing and relief teams
Dialogue: 0,0:15:43.48,0:15:47.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,under the command of Brigadier Glyn Hughes
Dialogue: 0,0:15:47.87,0:15:53.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,gave themselves body and soul\Nto the task of saving lives.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:54.40,0:15:59.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thanks to their dedication,\Ncommitment and compassion,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:59.09,0:16:01.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was nursed back to health.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:02.40,0:16:04.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I still remember their kindness
Dialogue: 0,0:16:04.76,0:16:09.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,after suffering years\Nof cruelty and deprivation.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:11.09,0:16:13.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When the British took over,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:13.15,0:16:17.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the German commandant Kramer\Nwas immediately arrested,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:18.27,0:16:22.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the guards were forced\Nto collect the bodies,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:22.58,0:16:26.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which could only be buried in mass graves.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:28.31,0:16:31.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Then, all the huts were burnt,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:33.10,0:16:37.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and a temporary memorial was set up.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:39.44,0:16:42.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In July 1945,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:42.66,0:16:47.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Ann and I were sent to Sweden\Nwith a group of children
Dialogue: 0,0:16:47.23,0:16:48.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for rehabilitation,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:49.27,0:16:51.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and subsequently I learnt
Dialogue: 0,0:16:51.61,0:16:57.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that my brother Ben was the only\Nother survivor of my immediate family.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:57.71,0:17:00.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He was among a group of children survivors
Dialogue: 0,0:17:00.69,0:17:04.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who had been flown\Nto England in August 1945.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:04.91,0:17:06.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And from him,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:06.28,0:17:10.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I heard that our father had been shot
Dialogue: 0,0:17:10.88,0:17:14.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,trying to escape from a death march,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:15.22,0:17:19.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that was only four days\Nbefore the end of the war.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:21.10,0:17:26.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Ben and I were reunited\Nwhen I came to England in 1947.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:27.16,0:17:31.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There was no financial support\Nfor immigrants in those days.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:31.35,0:17:35.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was sponsored by\Na Jewish charitable organisation,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:35.57,0:17:39.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and my first task\Nwas to learn the language
Dialogue: 0,0:17:39.95,0:17:42.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and sufficient skills to support myself,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:43.48,0:17:47.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which I was able to do within 12 months.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:47.15,0:17:48.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I joined a social club
Dialogue: 0,0:17:48.86,0:17:54.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which had been set up to help survivors\Nto integrate with the community,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:54.07,0:17:57.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and through friends, I met Morris Tribich,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:58.09,0:17:59.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a young architect
Dialogue: 0,0:17:59.47,0:18:03.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who had spent five and a half years\Nin the Royal Engineers,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:03.72,0:18:07.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,some of it in the front line\Nin North Africa
Dialogue: 0,0:18:07.06,0:18:10.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and at Montecassino, in Italy.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:10.68,0:18:16.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We were married in 1950,\Nhad two children, three grandchildren
Dialogue: 0,0:18:16.12,0:18:21.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and enjoyed a happy life\Ntogether for 43 years
Dialogue: 0,0:18:21.61,0:18:23.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,before he sadly died.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:24.09,0:18:26.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Once my children were at school,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:26.64,0:18:31.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I set about working\Nat the education that I had missed
Dialogue: 0,0:18:31.42,0:18:33.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and took O and A levels
Dialogue: 0,0:18:33.78,0:18:39.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and eventually obtained a degree\Nin sociology from London University.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:39.50,0:18:44.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Some years ago, to help me prepare\Na PowerPoint presentation,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:44.80,0:18:49.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my friend David, a retired doctor\Nand a very old family friend,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:50.06,0:18:54.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,did a computer search\Nfor information about my hometown,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:54.77,0:18:58.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he found the original typed list
Dialogue: 0,0:18:58.33,0:19:04.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the names and ages of transport 132
Dialogue: 0,0:19:05.05,0:19:10.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of 277 Jewish women and 9 children
Dialogue: 0,0:19:10.10,0:19:13.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who had deported\Nfrom Piotrków to Ravensbrück
Dialogue: 0,0:19:13.91,0:19:17.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at the end of November 1944.
Dialogue: 0,0:19:17.84,0:19:23.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And on that list, he found my name\Nand the names of my aunts, my cousin Ann,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:23.67,0:19:28.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he told me that although he had heard\Nme tell my story several times,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:28.62,0:19:35.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to see the actual physical evidence\Nof what had happened to us
Dialogue: 0,0:19:35.29,0:19:37.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,left him in tears.
Dialogue: 0,0:19:38.21,0:19:44.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Yet there are still people\Nwho say that it never happened.
Dialogue: 0,0:19:45.28,0:19:46.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,About 20 years ago,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:46.92,0:19:51.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I started to speak in public\Nabout my experiences during the war,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:51.60,0:19:57.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,mainly at schools under the auspices\Nof the Holocaust Educational Trust (HET)
Dialogue: 0,0:19:57.14,0:20:01.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and at Beth Shalom,\Nthe Holocaust Centre in Nottingham.
Dialogue: 0,0:20:01.71,0:20:06.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,More recently, since the appointment\Nof HET ambassadors,
Dialogue: 0,0:20:06.08,0:20:10.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I find that I'm speaking\Nquite often at universities.
Dialogue: 0,0:20:10.14,0:20:16.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So contrary to the rumours\Nthat come back to us from overseas,
Dialogue: 0,0:20:16.20,0:20:20.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Holocaust education\Nis very active in the UK
Dialogue: 0,0:20:20.41,0:20:23.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and is strongly supported\Nby the government.
Dialogue: 0,0:20:23.44,0:20:27.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When we speak about the Holocaust,\Nwe have to remember
Dialogue: 0,0:20:27.07,0:20:30.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that is was not only the Jews\Nwho were the victims.
Dialogue: 0,0:20:31.52,0:20:36.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The extermination programme\Nstarted as early as 1940
Dialogue: 0,0:20:37.11,0:20:40.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with the mentally and\Nphysically handicapped,
Dialogue: 0,0:20:40.68,0:20:45.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on whom, by trial and error, the man\Nwho became the notorious commandant
Dialogue: 0,0:20:45.83,0:20:53.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the extermination camps at Sobibór\Nand Treblinka, Franz Stangl,
Dialogue: 0,0:20:53.25,0:20:57.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,learned his trade\Nand how to square his conscience.
Dialogue: 0,0:20:57.65,0:21:00.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when it was in full swing,
Dialogue: 0,0:21:00.12,0:21:04.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the victims included also\Nthe Roma, Jehovah's Witnesses
Dialogue: 0,0:21:04.97,0:21:09.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and other groups who did not conform\Nto the Nazi ideal.
Dialogue: 0,0:21:10.91,0:21:17.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One would have thought that the revelation\Nof the hideous crimes against humanity
Dialogue: 0,0:21:17.03,0:21:20.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that took place in Germany\Nand the occupied countries
Dialogue: 0,0:21:20.51,0:21:22.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,during the Second World War
Dialogue: 0,0:21:22.65,0:21:26.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,would have been such a shock to humankind
Dialogue: 0,0:21:26.47,0:21:33.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that any resurgence of such destructive\Nracial and religious hatred
Dialogue: 0,0:21:33.07,0:21:35.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,would be inconceivable.
Dialogue: 0,0:21:35.85,0:21:41.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Yet, in spite of the Holocaust being\Nthe best documented atrocity
Dialogue: 0,0:21:41.39,0:21:44.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the whole of human history,
Dialogue: 0,0:21:44.09,0:21:48.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there are people who claim\Nthat it never happened.
Dialogue: 0,0:21:48.35,0:21:54.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So this, to me, is the value\Nof what we remaining survivors are doing:
Dialogue: 0,0:21:54.54,0:22:00.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,remembering the victims and teaching\Nthe generations that follow us
Dialogue: 0,0:22:00.65,0:22:02.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be ever on their guard
Dialogue: 0,0:22:02.67,0:22:07.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,against the denial\Nand the repetition of such evil.
Dialogue: 0,0:22:07.39,0:22:12.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When I did my first trial run\Nof this talk, David said,
Dialogue: 0,0:22:12.23,0:22:17.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"You can't finish with that slide,\Nyou need something more upbeat.
Dialogue: 0,0:22:18.93,0:22:24.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Would you ever have dreamt\Nwhen you were queuing up and shivering
Dialogue: 0,0:22:24.82,0:22:27.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when you arrived at Ravensbrück
Dialogue: 0,0:22:27.70,0:22:32.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on that freezing November day in 1944,
Dialogue: 0,0:22:32.24,0:22:34.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that almost 60 years later
Dialogue: 0,0:22:34.80,0:22:38.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you would be doing\Nwhat's on the next slide?"
Dialogue: 0,0:22:38.84,0:22:41.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I said, "Not in a million years."
Dialogue: 0,0:22:42.31,0:22:44.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you very much.
Dialogue: 0,0:22:44.09,0:22:46.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)