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Eva Schloss: A Survivor's Story — Transcript

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0:15bear with us for a moment as we let
0:19everyone into the wait into the event
0:22from the waiting room it just takes some
0:24you expect right I would like to
0:40formally welcome everybody today I am so
0:43excited that many of you are joining us
0:45from places all around the world my name
0:48is Lisa Bachman and I am the assistant
0:50executive director at the Holocaust
0:52Memorial resource and education center
0:54of Florida we are located just north of
0:57downtown Orlando and we do hope that one
1:00day when were when we get to open our
1:02doors again that you will travel to come
1:04and visit us in person our mission is to
1:07use the history and lessons of the
1:09Holocaust to build a just and caring
1:11community free of anti-semitism and all
1:14forms of prejudice and bigotry in
1:16addition to our exhibits and programs
1:19like this one today we recently kicked
1:21off a live virtual series called
1:24strategies for action
1:25it's a Lunch and Learn event and these
1:28are designed to answer the questions
1:30what can I do to learn an impact change
1:33around racism we'll put a link in the
1:36chat in a second and we hope that you'll
1:38join us for these programs as well I
1:40would like to extend some deep gratitude
1:43to Harold Davis for helping us put
1:46together today's program
1:47Gerald shared with me his times antique
1:50shopping with Eva and how Eva was able
1:52to hang out with his then teenage
1:54children so that she could experience
1:56some of the things that do since
1:59unfortunately she missed that important
2:00time in her life and those teenage kids
2:03are now grownups with us today too I'm
2:05very honored to welcome Eva today she's
2:08speaking to us from her home in London
2:10England she was born in Vienna Austria
2:13in nineteen twenty nineteen twenty nine
2:16and she is a very young ninety-one years
2:19of age
2:20she's the stepsister and Playmate of
2:22World War two diarist and Frank since
2:261985 eva has devoted herself to
2:29Holocaust education and global peace
2:31she has recounted her wartime
2:33experiences in more than 1,000 speaking
2:37engagements and she's written two books
2:39and has had a play written about her
2:41life in 1999 she signed the Anne Frank
2:45peace declaration along with United
2:48Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan and
2:51the niece of Raoul Wallenberg who
2:53rescued thousands of Jews in Budapest
2:57Eva published her first book named Eva
3:00story in 1988 as a memoir of her
3:04Holocaust experience and her stepsister
3:06she is a trustee of the Anne Frank
3:09Educational Trust UK and received an
3:12honorary doctorate in civil law from the
3:15University of Northumbria Newcastle
3:18England she was awarded an MBE a top
3:23British honour in 2012 Eva is going to
3:27share her story and then she will answer
3:29your questions we invite you to put
3:31those questions into the chat box and we
3:34will get to as many as we possibly can
3:36during our time with her today and now
3:39it is my extreme pleasure and a great
3:42honor to turn this program over to Eva
3:45schloss well thank you Lisa for your
3:49nice introduction and now I'm going to
3:53tell my story which is of course it's
3:57hot I used to tell it very often nearly
4:01every day for many months this now a bit
4:05a bit out of practice I haven't had a
4:07chance now to do this but um it is an
4:11important story and thinking back of the
4:14type which we are having now here to
4:17compare it because very often people ask
4:20me does it is it a bit similar when you
4:23were in hiding I said well yes you know
4:27we could go out but you can't compare it
4:30because really our life was a de jure I
4:34know now if you go out your bed get some
4:36arrows but the chances are quite small
4:38and then similar what it was but be
4:42ready to hide it my father said it won't
4:45be long
4:46it was in 1942 America's it's a war
4:49perhaps Christmas will be finished again
4:52and it will all be normally but if
4:55course it lasted to be there over two
4:57years in hiding so I hope this epidemic
5:01Lord hath said long well as you have
5:05heard of us bodied Vienna in a large
5:08family Jewish family not very religious
5:12but what was important that everybody in
5:16Austria and Germany you had to have
5:19religious education did school so in my
5:24class read about sub six seven years old
5:27so about seven Jewish children in the
5:30class twice a week we were called out we
5:34went into a different classroom and we
5:37had Jewish education and so of course
5:41and in 1938 the Nazis marched in without
5:47being invited six changed immediately
5:51and everybody of course in school knew
5:54who must Jewish so my first experience
5:58of anti-semitism was after this invasion
6:03of the Nazis I've had a Catholic Fred
6:07and on my way home I usually played with
6:10her wednesdaya but the next day after
6:14the dentist had come in I didn't know
6:18anything that changed event that gave
6:20miss her to her home and when the mother
6:22saw me she looked at me with such hatred
6:27and she slept the dough in my face and
6:30said we will never want to see you here
6:32again I was nine years old at the time
6:36and went home crying
6:39my mother said well this is what
6:41anti-semitism is about people just don't
6:45like Jewish people well you know I could
6:49barely understand why students a like me
6:51I'm just the same as all the other
6:53gender
6:54my brother Heinz whoever was very very
6:57close to he came home a couple of days
7:00later and he looked terrible
7:03his whole face was believed he was
7:05bleeding all over the place and his
7:08clothes were torn and ramified my
7:10parents asked him
7:12Heinz what on earth what happened to you
7:15he started to cry and he said my own
7:18Fred state said and the teachers just
7:21watch it happening and didn't interfere
7:24so you can imagine it became from a
7:28beautiful city where we were free where
7:30we had fun where we had lots of family
7:33we had outtakes left became suddenly
7:35practically unbearable my parents who
7:40must have foreseen you know at home of
7:43course of us no television so was a
7:45radio with Jews but the ballads always
7:49listened to it but we were already in
7:51bed so we had really no idea what was
7:54happening so our parents really tried to
7:57protect us of course in Germany by that
8:01time and this event isn't that already
8:04had a lot of terrible things happening
8:08many Jewish people were arrested most
8:11Jewish people had lost their jobs some
8:15were able to get out of course but most
8:18of them or elderly people you know how
8:21can you go to start the new life
8:23suddenly and you had no connections and
8:26then by 1938 most of the cutlasses is
8:31really something which I compared with
8:34this what's happening now most of the
8:37countries in the world didn't want any
8:39more Jewish refugees so it was really
8:44very very difficult to get a visa so the
8:47huge queues at all the embassies to find
8:52a visa anywhere in the world but most
8:56people were refused my father he was
9:00very very clever
9:01he had the shoe factory which he had
9:04inherited from his father he had
9:06business with Holland and a couple of
9:09days after the dentist had invaded he
9:12escaped and say he's going to organ
9:16Essex and we could follow as well not
9:19knowing of course that it would become
9:21practically impossible so we lived in
9:27fear several months and then eventually
9:31we heard that we could get illegally so
9:35Belgium out of the country which we did
9:39and so we settled down in Belgium my
9:43father was still in Holland we were
9:45separated we were not able to take
9:48anything with us just a little bag with
9:51a few clothes so I'll be lifted a little
9:54boarding house my mother didn't have her
9:58own household we had to share meals with
10:01other people we had two little rooms one
10:04for my mother and my father came weekend
10:07and one for my brother and me so and of
10:12course I didn't know any French
10:14and till that looked at me because I was
10:18put at the end of the class as if had
10:21come from the moon they could you know
10:23it said time people didn't travel so
10:25much foreigners were not known really
10:28and people who didn't know the language
10:30of the country it was all unknown you
10:33know so I lost all my confidence there
10:37was a very happy open child but I've
10:40lost all my confidence I became shy
10:42withdrawn and very very unhappy but you
10:47know children adjusted eventually I
10:50learned the language but in the meantime
10:52Hitler had carried on he went into
10:56Czechoslovakia and into Poland and the
11:01Second World War started and my father
11:04had tried desperately
11:06every time to try to get the reason for
11:09us to come to Amsterdam to Holland and
11:13eventually in 40 1940 February during
11:18the war my father got the visa for us to
11:22visit him for three months so my father
11:27hired the furnished apartment on a
11:29modern square in Amsterdam's innovative
11:32plan if ever you go to Amsterdam go and
11:35look at it it's very interesting since
11:38that you farmers there actually and we
11:42had a small modern apartment furnished
11:45and there was a grand piano there and my
11:49plaza it was some thirty years old at
11:53the time he was very very musical he was
11:56very happy he can play piano day and he
11:59was composing and we have to guess as a
12:02family I went of course to at that
12:06school it was difficult again and in
12:11apartments of course you had no gardens
12:13yards for children to play so after
12:17school all there were lots of children
12:19in this area all came to play on this
12:22big open square and one day a little
12:26girl came to me that you are new here
12:30where do you come from I said from
12:32Vienna and by that time I could speak a
12:35little bit of Dutch and he said oh I
12:39come from Germany as well and she took
12:42me up to her apartment to meet her
12:45father who could speak German to me
12:47so said this how we became friends and
12:52so over the exactly the same age and
12:55there was just one month
12:57Yanis and me and she went so actually to
13:02a Montessori School I was at the local
13:04and ordinary school so we didn't so we
13:08would be the same class but we didn't go
13:10to the same school so she was very very
13:14sure of herself she always wanted a
13:17group of kids around her to tell stories
13:20and I looked up into her because I was
13:23still very shy and she told me she had
13:27an older sister Bargo and I told her had
13:30that older brother and their eyes became
13:33very big when kada come and visit
13:35because at that time we were 11 12 years
13:40old she was already a big flirt she
13:43loved boys and she was many jealous said
13:46I had that brother I said I only have
13:48assist that you are so lucky and I was
13:51lucky because I had really a wonderful
13:53brother who protected me always looked
13:56after me
13:57and we had a wonderful relationship so
14:00we were friends I met her father never
14:03expected of course said to become so
14:07closely related ever and in the meantime
14:11Hitler went on to conquer and at that
14:16time you know it looked really as if
14:19Hitler was going to win the war it was
14:22really a very very anxious time for
14:25Jewish people in Holland we will find
14:29the Dutch seemed to be very friendly
14:32very in Belgium notes I didn't want
14:35refugees but in Holland we had the
14:37feeling we're welcome and we really
14:40settled down and said well this is going
14:43to be a - life again but it didn't last
14:46very long in May so we came in my in
14:51February and in May the Germans invaded
14:54already Holland it was a very short war
14:58just five days that was the first time
15:03said the civilian city had been bombed
15:06Rotterdam with ten thousand casualties
15:10and the German said if you're not going
15:14to capitulate we are going to bomb all
15:17your cities well of course the
15:20government couldn't accept that and a
15:22peace treaty was made since the Nazis
15:26the Germans went into Belgium and France
15:28which within months capitulated as well
15:32so
15:34looked at really nearly very bad for
15:36Jewish people
15:37of course the dad said don't worry we
15:40are going to protect you but it wasn't
15:43possible so I mean the first few months
15:47nothing really happened but then the
15:49measures against Jewish people started
15:51to appear in newspapers on the radio
15:55imposed us and at first it was useless
15:59but it wasn't life-threatening like we
16:02were not allowed on Thames not on trains
16:05not in cinemas we were not allowed to go
16:08out after there was a curfew after 8 o
16:11clock and not before 7 o'clock in the
16:14morning
16:15and so each time it became a little bit
16:18more difficult the venetian cards then
16:21we had to wear a yellow star that became
16:25already more dangerous because many
16:28especially young men and and all the men
16:32but men disappeared so we are picked up
16:35from the street and disappeared and what
16:38never heard any more from them so you
16:41can imagine it became very scary to go
16:44out to go to school to do anything and
16:48then we had to leave to our schools that
16:52go to Jewish girls you will say well
16:55NASA Ghana is it now we choose to say
16:57that what she led the Jewish schools
16:59because they are very good but what it
17:02meant since the Nazis came there with
17:05trucks told several class homes to go on
17:09the attack
17:10and the children web taken away and the
17:15parents waited in the evening for the
17:17children to come home and they didn't
17:20turn up so they went to the local police
17:23to ask where are the children
17:26with no they went even to the Nazis to
17:30the Gestapo to ask they didn't let them
17:33in even and those children young people
17:37from the age of 15 16 17 we're never
17:42ever seen again because they are not
17:46said to Germany
17:47so they're sent to Mao thousand I think
17:52you're probably heard of that as a
17:54terrible austin desk camp as a ver
17:57cliffs and they were just sold out from
18:00the cliffs so you can imagine and said
18:08heinz got his call-up notice and an
18:10assister bar go and of course at that
18:13time both families disappeared
18:17they'd into hiding well I was just
18:20certain years old
18:21and 1942 and my father
18:25hence got his call-up noticed to be
18:27deported to Germany to work in German
18:31factories well many many Jewish parents
18:35are well in Germany overhead is a clear
18:38all they're not Jewish people anymore
18:41and in Austria why should said why
18:43Jewish people again to come to Germany
18:46so my father called us together and said
18:50hence you are not going we are going to
18:53go into hiding and I questioned I said
18:57what you mean hiding adults don't God
19:00Heidi I don't hide I wanna use a
19:02game-high did seek so my father
19:06explained I found some wonderful people
19:09who offers a home for us to stay safe
19:15but I couldn't find the apartment in
19:18Holland ik rats ball I couldn't find a
19:21family who was taken here for people
19:24there's just not the room so we have to
19:26split up
19:27I will go his mother and hence will go
19:30with him and I started to cry I was very
19:34very attached to bad men folk and my
19:38father explained if we're in two
19:41different places the chance said two of
19:45us will survive is bigger survived so it
19:52was the first time said they really
19:54realized it is a matter of life and
19:57death
19:58and when you're 13 that is pretty scary
20:02so this is what happened we went into
20:06hiding at the same time but we didn't
20:09know if he didn't tell anybody the Frank
20:12family disappeared as well and went into
20:15their secret addicts they had the office
20:18of otto Frank where they could stay and
20:21then later eight people they had exam so
20:25we separated and we went to this address
20:28which had been given and we been hiding
20:32for for two years in many different
20:36places because the Germans knew about
20:39from the ten thousand people that called
20:43up only a small number come so where I
20:47said lest of them so they wanted to find
20:50them so they made house searches so in
20:54every hiding place wherever there we had
20:57a hiding place within the hiding place
20:59when the Nazis came to search we quickly
21:04went into hiding place and hoping
21:07someone will find us and you can imagine
21:11the people who were hiding us and this
21:14happens very often they are nervous
21:16they're scared because if they would
21:19find us they would take be taken away
21:22not to death camps but to camps and many
21:26many people did perish who that was
21:29called the resistance it was in every
21:31occupied cutting was a big movement
21:34resistance they did all kind of things
21:37to boycott synopsis say short
21:40particularly Badlands is a blew up
21:43trains so he attacks whistle ads ahead
21:47radios they helped all kinds of people
21:49and so there was but the rest as well a
21:53big Nazi Party as well so as you never
21:57knew who you could trust so after two
22:01years in hiding in may be there again
22:05honest with us about that was six or
22:07seven hiding place you just moved to a
22:09different family as well
22:11and my father was in the country his
22:14hands and he fought my mother and said
22:18sir woman busiest day is blackmail
22:20exempt for more money
22:22well my father wasn't able to work for
22:26two years you can imagine our savings
22:29they're practically non-existent anymore
22:32and he said to my mother if the war
22:35still lasts much longer we have no money
22:37she's good to show us out anyway so and
22:42my mother tried to find a hiding place
22:44because we had touched his people from
22:47the resistance in Amsterdam and it was
22:50already difficult many people at with a
22:52less than many just didn't want to do it
22:55anymore so eventually a Dutch nurse came
22:59forward and said she knows a good hiding
23:02place as a good house as it turned out
23:06she was a double agent she really worked
23:11for the Nazis but pretended she worked
23:15for the resistance so and my files that
23:20process scaped from this house was over
23:22Baba's blackmail exam at night went to
23:25this new place and it was very near
23:28where Bieber stay kills me know when
23:38they moved on the Sunday I was very very
23:42miserable in hiding so my parents had
23:45decide from time to 10-bit going to
23:48visit each also my father and hands
23:50never left but my mother and me they're
23:52both blonde and blue-eyed looking very
23:55Dutch so occasionally we took the leads
23:59to visit them and I say we're near us
24:03now we went to see them and on Tuesday
24:06it was my 15th birthday we were just
24:10sitting down to breakfast use me
24:19there was a knock on the door Dayton was
24:22safe and the Nazis stormed in he had
24:27been betrayed
24:28we had no idea what happened we were
24:32taken to the headquarters we were beaten
24:35up interrogated and result it was just
24:38my mother and me but it turned out my
24:41father and brother was there as well so
24:44this nurse had I have Nancy friend come
24:49in and took my father and brother and
24:51when we visited - followed us so they
24:54knew where we were and so all four of us
24:57wear instead you can imagine I was in
25:02shock because we knew what might happen
25:05to be sent to a death camp it was not
25:10the secret you know the BBC the British
25:13both got cooperation sent broadcast out
25:16how the war was going but as well they
25:19mentioned always says Lisa 300 death
25:24camps in Germany in Poland where in many
25:28of them Jewish people were
25:30systematically being guests
25:33so it was no secret to nobody and we
25:38knew as well so we were taken to a
25:41holding camp and within three days we've
25:44already put on transport to the east
25:47Holland is the most Western country so
25:51it had to be the East which means or
25:54Germany or Poland you can imagine how
25:58they felt
25:59you know about the transportation I
26:02counted cattle tracks or goods train
26:05it's like like a container is
26:07practically no Arab 80 people they're
26:10pushed into it there were two buckets
26:13one for drinking water so also one for
26:16toilets once a day is so big chunk of
26:21bread in like for wild animals you would
26:24feed
26:26but in this my father's apologised for
26:32he can't look after us anymore we'll be
26:35on our own he gave us all kind of tips
26:37what we should do how we should behave
26:40later when all this was really quite
26:43impossible I kind of had to smile to
26:46myself what did my father think is going
26:49to happen anyway my brother I told you
26:53he was a musician but of course in
26:56hiding he couldn't play any music he had
26:59to be very quiet and he started to paint
27:02and he created some amazing beautiful
27:06oil paintings and he told me that and he
27:12told me before they escaped from this
27:14woman he hits a paintings under the
27:17floorboard with a note on it this
27:20belongs to Heinz and Eric gang up and
27:22after the war is going to pick it up
27:25again and he told me that this was more
27:29or less the last conversation I had with
27:31my brother so eventually as his terrible
27:36journey came to an end and the train
27:39stopped was a beautiful May Day and we
27:42heard dogs barking and shouting and the
27:46opens the doors and we saw with in
27:48Auschwitz so it said time we really
27:54thought our last day on earth had come
27:58and just turned 15 and my mother was not
28:03quite 18
28:04my mother was 40 my father was 43 and
28:09resort this is known to be a proper
28:12death sentence
28:15so then trusting was separation men and
28:20women too different him some of you I'm
28:23sure have been to Auschwitz visit Jesus
28:25it was an enormous area this many many
28:29came out which was the name of the men
28:31came via canal the name of the women's
28:34camp so the men had to go to Auschwitz
28:38and Bavaria canal
28:40and then the next thing was we were
28:45herded like cattle into a big big
28:48paddock and had to undress completely
28:51naked can you imagine and the young SS
28:55man's have walked around poke exact
28:57answered our embarrassment and we were
29:01all tattooed
29:02we were told you're not the human being
29:04is a name if ever we want you we'll just
29:08call you out by your number and all her
29:11hair was shaved and while this was
29:15happening oh I forgot actually well
29:19remain left left then there was a
29:21selection megalith you've heard of dr.
29:24Mengele a proper medical doctor but he
29:28wasn't there to cue people or help them
29:31he was there to decide who is going to
29:35live and who is going to die so the
29:39first election took place outside near
29:41the Train and we lost about half hour -
29:46transport so we're only six children
29:50there and at the camp children I was a
29:55child 15 years old but of course I
29:58didn't look like a 15 year old because
30:02and this is I want to tell you about the
30:05few miracles
30:06otherwise I don't think I would be
30:08sitting here I had just a summer dress
30:12and it was warm but my mother gave me
30:15her head that coat and Suzi's and the
30:19head that they tried to bake him and so
30:22this when my Nana looked at be just a
30:24fraction of a second he didn't realize
30:27how young I was
30:29so I passed his first election but all
30:34babies toddlers even 16 17 your girls
30:39when they were small went on to homicide
30:41and of course all the people could
30:45before they could be 50 and older of
30:48course all went to the wrong side
30:51at sets they didn't say what it meant
30:53but when we were in this big hole naked
30:57since SS young man told us this much
31:02pleasure and this is what then ascends
31:05the most said was not necessary we
31:08assumed we knew what was happened but we
31:10never knew really and he told us those
31:14family you've been separated with if you
31:18go outside you can already smell the
31:20smoke because event to have a shower and
31:24then they laugh that pushed each other
31:26but it wasn't a shower it was gas and
31:30within 10 minutes everybody fell to the
31:34ground and was dead so can you imagine a
31:38mother who had just been separated from
31:40her baby or a young child started to cry
31:45and to scream and then we were told and
31:48now you got having a shower of course we
31:50didn't want to go without such a thing
31:53but we did we go out still naked and the
31:57wealth to you keeps one wishes which
32:01we've got to so never of course appear
32:04and the other one Chris close and we
32:07were song one thing could have been a
32:09wind Accord overnight this then we were
32:13herded in our barracks bunks three high
32:17like ages just wood nothing in it no
32:22betting no straw no pillow nothing
32:26whatsoever no blankets and they told the
32:29cities where we live as long as you live
32:31which would be long anyway in the
32:35morning we had to stand for two hours in
32:38front of our barrack and the whole
32:40campers count and then we got a little
32:43bit of liquid and then we were taken to
32:46work from early morning to late at night
32:49without food without toilet break
32:53without water without messing and then
32:58we were herded back to the barrack to
33:00have to stand again
33:02two hours and the canvas counted and
33:05then we got our supper because a chunk
33:08of bread we never got anything in data
33:12besides a drink in the morning so some
33:15people wanted to keep half of it for the
33:19next day it happened the evening but you
33:22had nowhere to keep anything the only
33:25place is where you could put your head
33:27on when you slept but not in the
33:30beginning but a bit later people were so
33:33hungry that when you slept the people
33:36who slept next to you started to eat the
33:39razor blade from it fell off or under
33:42your head and they just took it the date
33:44it up so then many many illnesses typhus
33:49cholera dysentery in term of
33:52conservation many many people died every
33:56time less people were in our banks
34:00people had died in the morning and you
34:03know Chris friends died people you slept
34:07one day the next morning she didn't wake
34:10up so when the first miracle I told you
34:14about the second miracle was that if we
34:19came across a cousin of my mother from
34:21Iraq who worked for dr. Mengele it's a
34:25longer story but it's an important
34:27stories or make it very sure she begged
34:31for Mangalam because her husband was a
34:34doctor and he worked for the Nazis so he
34:36got a better job working in the hospital
34:39and we just ran into her which was
34:42amazing and after a few months when we
34:48went once a year once a week we had a
34:50shower and Reverdy Loused with a full of
34:53life and when we came out of the shower
34:57there was a selection taking place and
35:02at that time perhaps it was October my
35:06mother had become very very thin and so
35:10I passed naked in front of Mengele
35:13and he let me pass and my mother walked
35:16behind me and he took her out it's about
35:21forty other women from our Dutch
35:23transport and those naked women walked
35:26out to be killed
35:29I still tried to come to her to say
35:33goodbye but I was beaten from a couple
35:36and separated so not even goodbye I
35:40could say you can imagine that was for
35:43me the worst moment in the camp
35:47I'm it became winter it was very very
35:50very cold I was I worked inside to make
35:56plants I had frost bed I lost my shoes
36:00in the snow double walk barefoot had big
36:03open toes and that was all on my own and
36:07not thought of Dutch people had
36:10disappeared and I saw that I don't think
36:14I can make it and I was working and I
36:19was called out the couple said somebody
36:21wants you outside so I said oh no no
36:24that's a hinge and I go out and just
36:28stood my father with an SS man
36:32unbelievable and it never happened that
36:35the man came to to save women's
36:38Catwoman's camp and that he was were
36:41able to find me how he knew where I was
36:44a miracle I came I can't said anything
36:48else and of course he asked me where mu
36:52T was my mum and had told him said she
36:55had big guests when I saw my father
36:58collapsing in front of my house and then
37:03he recovered we both cried and he said
37:06hands is okay
37:07the old war will soon finish and we'll
37:09be together again so it hold on can't
37:13last much longer and as I came still
37:17twice more and then I never saw him
37:20anymore and
37:23as that times and Russians were
37:25approaching and the Germans evacuated to
37:28camp every day many many barracks were
37:31emptied there not many inmates left
37:34really somehow I was still there and
37:37said you know there was a B C camp which
37:41used to be always closed but many Nazis
37:44many guards left as well
37:46there was no discipline anymore
37:48sometimes there was no work and people
37:51could go from one camp to the other camp
37:53and people who had known Dutch people
37:58came from one part of the camp to where
38:01I was and they came to run to me and
38:05kiss me and they said Eva Eva we've seen
38:08your mother and I said no that can't be
38:12just been selected she's not yeah yeah
38:15definitely she's see it's a life have
38:19seen her so I couldn't believe it
38:22it's a kept on saying try to get to this
38:24part of the cabins they told me where it
38:26was and as I say it was not strict
38:30anymore you could not immediately but
38:33after a few days I was able to get out
38:35that go to this part of the camp and
38:38indeed the found by massa can you
38:42imagine the joy is a pleasure we were
38:46both in shock how we looked I had said
38:49type of very heavy coat with nothing
38:51underneath and my mother said oh you
38:54look well you know and she opens the
38:57code that there was practically a
38:58skeleton underneath and she to look
39:02terrible but we were together there life
39:06we stayed together and then in the night
39:10the Germans called always out
39:12out of the barracks we are marching they
39:15are going to Rebekah weights again
39:17because they're not sure and we're
39:18obviously near we didn't know anything
39:20and so every day more and more people
39:24disappeared and another night said they
39:29told us when they are going to leave
39:31they're going to look up every shake and
39:34burn the whole cap down not to leave any
39:37side
39:37it's behind so everybody wanted to leave
39:40my mother and me too with a very very
39:44weak we probably wouldn't have made it
39:46more than one day but never Moses we
39:51thought we don't want to be burned alive
39:53so we we went outside and then there was
39:57an airdate because the Russians were
39:59flying over the cabin and we went inside
40:02against it everyone to much with an air
40:05raid in seconds a whole night three four
40:07times they called out and they're going
40:10and not going so and my mother and we
40:14especially my mother wish it was so big
40:16she said I can't go out anymore they
40:19probably won't let go anyway
40:21so we fell asleep they were exhausted
40:24and we woke up in the morning and the
40:27camp was deserted only about 500 people
40:32it counts them but roughly 500 people
40:36they left behind all the rest had gone
40:38and so we were on our own many people
40:44still died we had no way of burying them
40:47and I was still one of systole nervous a
40:50Polish woman we had to take out the
40:53bodies and heaps him up there and you
40:57know the snow we couldn't do anything
40:59and said we tried to close the eyelids
41:04Fitzer there froze and it was that
41:06rikudou and then suddenly the Russians
41:09appeared and we were liberated but of
41:13course we were not free because what
41:16should we do where should we go
41:18so they left again to fight and then I
41:21decided I would go to the men's camp
41:24Auschwitz to try to find my father and
41:27brother and I did said and it's not so
41:31far about three miles but it took me a
41:33whole night because I was shooting the
41:36bear fighting in this area so I went in
41:39the night eventually I found it and
41:42generations had made sort of a
41:44headquarters there and them was allowed
41:47to nobody took any notice and
41:50looked around everywhere the best
41:52perhaps for 500 men left there and
41:57looked everywhere
41:59they were sitting very weak sitting on
42:01banks and some were walking around in
42:04the eggs looking for food somewhere and
42:07I came across a man who looked slightly
42:10familiar and I but very seen that action
42:15and I went to him and I said I think I
42:18think I've met you somewhere he said yes
42:21I'm Otto Frank I'm his father and you
42:24were a ver Galaga and his friend I said
42:27yes yes
42:27F and they said have you seen my
42:30daughters or my wife and I hadn't seen
42:32them and I said have you seen Heinz and
42:35my father I said yes but she left with
42:38the Germans so at that time I said
42:42that's good they be alive the war must
42:45finish soon I went back and I fetched my
42:47mother and we started to live in
42:50Auschwitz and we spoke with Otto several
42:56times and since the Russians decided it
43:00was dangerous to leave a cell they would
43:02take us eastwards and we traveled east
43:06what with the Russians from February
43:10till May till the ended up in Odessa
43:14it's interesting to look it up on a map
43:17it's right so Paul at the pad for Gaza
43:21more things happened on this journey but
43:24I'm starting to run out of time so
43:28eventually of course in May the war was
43:32finished and but you know we still had
43:36no idea about our family and we had no
43:38idea how will we ever be able to get
43:41back to the west and eventually tube
43:46transport ship came to transport us to
43:50the west so that was a long journey
43:54again and eventually we ended in
43:57Marseilles and again a long long journey
43:59up to Holland
44:02and when they got to Amsterdam till now
44:06we had not done anything for ourselves
44:07you know me had no money we had no
44:09clothes nothing so we went just a dog
44:13that's a zag at the station and to be on
44:17our own eventually we were able to get
44:22to our apartment because I told you it
44:24was furnished and belonging to a
44:27Christian person and it just empties
44:30during the war and she let us move in
44:32toto Frank was with us on this journey
44:35as well and he had nowhere to go
44:38somebody else had moved in his apartment
44:40and them so he went to stay with me
44:43please who was one of the helpers and
44:46then we waited for news we went to the
44:50station everyday people and I have we
44:53put it in the newspapers we put up words
44:55we ask people same with Auto and
44:59eventually we got a letter from the head
45:02cause not not with sympathetic just very
45:08factual we have to tell you to my mother
45:11that your husband and your son perished
45:14in Mauthausen just terrible Austrian Kem
45:18several days before the American army
45:22came to liberate said Kemp
45:25well that was look as if I was hit with
45:30a sledgehammer that was the worst news I
45:34could ever have expected and Otto came
45:38as well is the same news that his two
45:41girls that his wife had perished so you
45:44can imagine how he felt but then he got
45:48the diary and that really helped him to
45:53carry on he was so proud about it it
45:56took him three weeks to read it and he
46:00came to us and showed it to us and ready
46:03to us partly and then I remembered I
46:06said to my mother
46:07what about Heinz his paintings we have
46:10to go and find them which we did so this
46:15was a
46:15I got from my browser and Otto had his
46:20diary and but I was more depressed after
46:25the war said I was in the cabin because
46:29in the camp and to use all mistakes to
46:32survive but to make a new life without
46:35my family was for me unsinkable so it
46:40became very very depressed and it was
46:42Otto who had lost everything he came to
46:46us very off when said to me you know you
46:49were young your whole life in front of
46:51you love can offer you so much
46:54you mustn't be depressed and but I was
46:57so full of hatred and he said I said
47:00when you hate the job and how can you
47:02carry on and he said I don't hate the
47:06Germans and it was very proud that he
47:08was a German that again something I
47:11couldn't understand he said lift my
47:14whole life there my family has been in
47:16Germany for generation and loves a
47:20musical of the literature I love the
47:22language that's my people I can't hate
47:25them this was of course terrible but
47:29every country has done terrible things
47:31and we have to get overseas and accepted
47:36and so it was very very difficult for me
47:41but eventually of course I got over it
47:44never of course completely over it and I
47:47never spoke to anybody about my
47:50experience I got married in England got
47:53three kids five grandchildren but I
47:57never told them really what has happened
47:59to me till I was forced to head to speak
48:04somewhere in 1986 and then I wrote my
48:07books and that s when I started to be
48:11myself again
48:13so it took over 40 years to get over
48:17this so cities he done really in a
48:21nutshell there's many many more things
48:24of course from after and from
48:28and all kind of things but as you've
48:32heard definite in Seabrook uber story is
48:34my first book which is a nice American
48:41edition you can order it on Amazon and
48:45you will hear lots of mysterious is sick
48:49how my mother was saved and so on so we
48:54have a little bit type of question you
48:56know you wanted to give me 25 minutes to
48:59talk you realize that is impossible even
49:03usually you speak an hour or even longer
49:06but I know we are time limited so thank
49:11you very much and looking forward to get
49:15some questions Thank You Eva I I don't
49:20really think that I can express the
49:24gratitude that I know I have and that
49:28our team and I've been watching the all
49:32of the comments scroll on the chat the
49:34mere words just cannot express how
49:37thankful we are that you have shared
49:39your story I would like to share some of
49:43the questions the the first is from
49:48Michelle she wants to know how you found
49:51the resolve to keep living what did you
49:58do to keep on living
50:00how did you find the strengths and in
50:02other anything no afterwards afterwards
50:06well I must say autumn or the Frank
50:10helped me a lot he came very often to
50:14our house and cheered me up told me and
50:18I was always thinking this man who has
50:21really nobody I still had my mother they
50:24offer a sat on my mother's leopard cried
50:26and my mother said well we have each
50:28other and that of course did help
50:32I think if ever attempt so after their
50:34own which could have happened I don't
50:37know how I've made it but you know life
50:39is something very precious we
50:41only have one life on earth you don't
50:44want to give this up so easily
50:46that's wonderful and amazing advice we
50:51have a question and I have to say I am
50:54not often rendered speechless and I'm
50:56trying myself to find to keep going to
50:59keep to and ask you some of these
51:01questions because I'm so moved today we
51:03have a person who joined us on Facebook
51:06and would like to know what advice you
51:09have about teaching the Holocaust is
51:13there any thing in particular that you
51:16would advise the teachers who are on
51:18this call today that they should do with
51:21their classrooms well I mean you know
51:24very often people say especially in a
51:29mag it's not compulsory to teach the
51:32Holocaust so there's no curriculum in
51:35most European country but it's
51:37compulsory to be teach the Holocaust is
51:41a curriculum what's F to tell and but
51:45not in America of course and there are
51:47only six states which is compulsory and
51:50very often people say well we have read
51:55the diary but that is not enough of the
51:58Holocaust you have to really learn
52:01especially across the history by Hitler
52:04was able to get the power which is very
52:07important if it would have more time I
52:09would talk about that as well and then
52:13you don't tell the circumstances why and
52:17Jewish people unfortunately and
52:20anti-semitism is not something we just
52:23disappear that is there again or still
52:26and it will always be there but of
52:29course we have now Israel which helps so
52:32some and them so you have to really tell
52:39history and yeah books read books so
52:44that you know what has happened and yeah
52:48you have to learn about what has
52:50happened and why it has happened and it
52:53has added
52:55you know because of the inflation
52:57Germany was after the war very very very
53:00poor and that is right Hitler was able
53:03to get to power and yeah it is all
53:07connected history is very very
53:09interesting it hasn't just happened like
53:12this you know and you would you want
53:14embeds it was the circumstances you
53:18tried to find a scapegoat and
53:21unfortunately Jewish people were always
53:23made the scapegoat to my six was going
53:27bad for them so she says all to be
53:30explained thank you thank you for that
53:33and I think that is so important and I'm
53:37very proud to say that in the state of
53:39Florida where we're located Holocaust
53:41education is mandated so we can throw it
53:46at home and we developed many lesson
53:49plans and it's something very very
53:51important we're proud to teach we have a
53:55couple more questions Elizabeth would
53:58like to know if you have been back to
54:00Auschwitz since you left and if so what
54:04was that experience like well I had no
54:09intention intention ever to go back to
54:13this place as you can imagine but in
54:161995 when it was what was it the fifties
54:21memorization of the liberation of
54:24Auschwitz the Dutch television and I was
54:27already speaking at that time asked me
54:30to come with them and make a program
54:34prison in Auschwitz and I said trust no
54:37way would I go and then they said was
54:40assaulted we would say that but the
54:42thought will fold again and I talked it
54:44over with my mother and my bath and my
54:47husband and I said you know I have never
54:52never closed this part of my life
54:56perhaps if I would go it could be a
54:58closure and what was very important to
55:01me said told me some of the Austrian
55:04soldiers who liberated
55:06would be there and I thought wouldn't it
55:10be nice if I could say a proper thank
55:13you to them so it did go but as soon it
55:17was winter it was foggy and cold when we
55:20got there my husband to the source and
55:23layout now unfortunately there's not
55:26much to see in bacon al this is just a
55:28huge empty area but at that time it was
55:32all exactly how it was you could go into
55:34the barracks you could go there washing
55:37and twelve office facilities which were
55:40practically nil but you could see that
55:42just holds and my husband burst into
55:46tears from the whole interviews for
55:50every event suet and it was it was awful
55:55and I'd say that never ever to go near
55:57this place but then later I had the
56:00German television crew who asked me to
56:03go which I did and surprisingly the
56:06latest was and some Japanese film coup
56:10and I did go and I get enough wonderful
56:14letters from those people of Caesars
56:17especially from Japan you know they
56:20didn't know anything about it and how
56:22important that was but now they asked
56:26several people have asked me again to go
56:28but I had decided not to go anymore
56:32that's understandable I can't imagine
56:34how difficult it must have been to make
56:37those decisions about making that trip
56:38you have another question from Jennifer
56:41she would like to know what advice you
56:43have for us today that we can do to
56:46combat intolerance and racism and hate
56:49crimes well this is what we all kind of
56:55trying to cope with at I find a solution
56:59now sis what is happening in America and
57:02in England
57:03racism is very big still I'm afraid
57:08partly this perhaps because of work has
57:12not enough work to save these refugees
57:15say up
57:17in a very very bad way if say let in and
57:21is unfortunately this this
57:24discrimination again people who are
57:26different from yourself and I think we
57:30have to to learn specially and religious
57:34different many many hate things are from
57:37a religious point of view and will go up
57:40in Holland there was Protestant and
57:43Catholics to both Christians there was a
57:46eighty year war that people killed each
57:49other and demolish their their churches
57:53and them demolish the whole it was
57:57unbelievable eighty years of fighting
58:00both Christian people I don't understand
58:04we have to learn more about how meaning
58:09as I say in Austria your head religious
58:11education but in in England and America
58:14not so much
58:15I seen you have to learn and that all
58:18those religions are really basically
58:20very similar we all want the same and as
58:24well is color to have to be learned that
58:28why it is not the best color any color
58:31is acceptable ethical is good tilda
58:34don't notice it it's when you grow up
58:36suddenly you have this prejudice we have
58:40to teach people that it is not
58:43acceptable anymore and I mean I know
58:46it's been going on for many many years
58:48but now I think it's a good time to
58:51start again to teaches that we have to
58:54accept each other for who we are
58:57thank you that was just truly an
59:00incredible incredible answer and
59:03something that I can truly internalize
59:06and take action on one last question
59:09that has appeared a couple of times
59:12people are wondering if you abandoned
59:16your Jewish beliefs at any time and have
59:20you maintained any religious beliefs
59:24no I'm very very proud to I'm not very
59:28religious
59:29liberal but I would never ever give up
59:33my my Judaism and that comes actually
59:38from when in Austria when we started to
59:43abrogate that an uncle of mine emigrated
59:46with with mrs. wife and his little son
59:49of two years old
59:50and they moved to a very little town in
59:53England the same as the only Jewish
59:55family and he decided it would become
59:58Anglican to say English village and
1:00:01Christian religion so that his son would
1:00:04not have to suffer like this and my
1:00:07father was as I say don't really just do
1:00:10but very Jewish and he said I'm never
1:00:14going to speak a word that again with
1:00:16him how can he do that he were born into
1:00:19something and you say it and said he's
1:00:23stuck with me and again you know I would
1:00:26never betray our religion I'm very proud
1:00:30to be a Jew I must say it's a Kemp
1:00:34the only thing what you could do was
1:00:37pray to God to stop these authorities
1:00:41and God wasn't there so I must say when
1:00:45I came out of the camp and was an
1:00:48atheist I didn't believe in humanity but
1:00:52Noah in a God but I think a difficulty
1:00:58become pregnant because of Sep bromide
1:01:01which we go to down streets in our drink
1:01:04which I didn't have any menstruation and
1:01:08I went and got pregnant eventually after
1:01:13treatment that was a miracle for me and
1:01:16I told you about many other little
1:01:20miracles would happen how my mother
1:01:23survived and has survived so I am still
1:01:28searching I don't know yes it's a good
1:01:32or not but I'm certainly I go to our
1:01:36liberal synagogue and very very good Jew
1:01:42Thank You Eva and we will take one last
1:01:46question that comes from Harold and he
1:01:50would like to know what is the current
1:01:52situation of anti-semitism in France and
1:01:56in England in the UK
1:02:05well there is anti-semitism but the
1:02:09thing it has always been in certain
1:02:12classes this kind of people but I'm not
1:02:15afraid that ever anything like this will
1:02:18happen and I think I mean I know people
1:02:21are sometimes annoyed differentiation
1:02:23it's not so much the Jewish people in
1:02:26France and in England it is a policy of
1:02:30Israel unfortunately we have in both
1:02:33those countries in England and France
1:02:35many many Muslims and not surprising of
1:02:39course on the supports of Palestinians
1:02:44and I must say I don't support the
1:02:48government it is a now as a but it
1:02:51doesn't mean to say I'm an anti-semite
1:02:52and physicists I don't think people have
1:02:57anything against the Jewish people who
1:02:59live in their country thank you Eva I
1:03:05think all of this is so inspiring and
1:03:08the answer you gave about not giving up
1:03:11your identity I think is something
1:03:13that's so important to all of us and
1:03:15something that we can all learn from
1:03:16today especially because so many of us
1:03:19feel different or other as a result of
1:03:22our identity and I know that I for sure
1:03:26have taken so many things away from this
1:03:28presentation and I I can see by the many
1:03:33many many comments that have gone in the
1:03:35chat that that everybody else has to I
1:03:38see things that say we're better for
1:03:40listening god bless you so thank you so
1:03:43much for joining us all the way from
1:03:48London England
1:03:50it's such an honor it's been just a
1:03:54you honor to hear you were privileged
1:03:58that we were able to hear your story and
1:04:01thank you for sharing we know it must be
1:04:03incredibly difficult and to everybody
1:04:06who has joined us from all around the
1:04:08world we would like to thank you for
1:04:10being here today and these these
1:04:13programs are made possible by all of our
1:04:17supporters and many many many generous
1:04:19donors and if you have enjoyed the
1:04:21program today we would greatly
1:04:24appreciate any donation that you are
1:04:26willing to provide to us we will put a
1:04:29link into the chat momentarily and thank
1:04:34you for coming thank you thank you it
1:04:37was a pleasure thank you Eva oh wait let
1:04:44them go first
1:04:48bye Harold hey everybody
1:04:55Thank You Eva bye Eva hey everybody you
1:05:05take on the floor and I want to see you
1:05:09alright thank you everyone

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