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Eyewitness: The Survivor’s voice

The Eyewitness Project

The Eyewitness Project commenced in 2002 to preserve the talks given by survivors to students at the MHM. The survivors’ stories enable viewers to engage with the human side of Holocaust history to deliver a meaningful learning experience.

There are 40 ‘Eyewitness’ recordings that were produced, each of approximately fifteen minutes’ in duration. The entire collection of videos can be viewed on our YouTube channel.

Concept: Sue Wright, Eileen Wright and Dora Oliver
Interviewers: Eileen Wright and Dora Oliver
Funded by the Cass Foundation (2002) and the Ian Potter Foundation (2004).

Abram Goldberg

Abram Goldberg

Abram was 15 when he witnessed many changes in the town of Lodz after the Nazi invasion. His vibrant Jewish world was destroyed forever.

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Abraham Kolski

Abraham Kolski

The Lodz Ghetto was ‘home’ for 3 years where thousands died of starvation and disease. Abraham remained until the liquidation in 1944. Next stop – Auschwitz.

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Adele Jarzebski

Adele Jarzebski

Adele was born in the town of Lvov, Poland. From the beginning life presented many challenges, and hiding was her only option.

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Arnold Erlanger

Arnold Erlanger

His tattoo tells a story and the dehumanisation Arnold faced every day is not forgotten. “One Nation, One People, One Leader” still haunts him today.

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Danka Schnall

Danka Schnall

Her entire family perished and as an only child, Danka became homeless. She was sent to work in Auschwitz and was liberated from Dachau.

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David Prince

David Prince

David and twin brother Henry, with their parents, arrived in Auschwitz on the last transport from Lodz. Great luck helped the boys and their father survive.

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Floris Kalman

Floris Kalman

The Nazi invasion of Belgium 1940 changed the lives of this family forever. Separated and in hiding proved to be a devastating experience for this young girl.

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Halina Zylberman

Halina Zylberman

Krakow, the Jewish cultural centre of Poland was occupied. Halina received false Aryan papers from Christian friends to hide her true identity.

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Henri Korn

Henri Korn

The family fled to Brussels, where Henri and his sister were hidden by a lady who convinced them that being Jewish was a terrible thing.

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Irma Hanner

Irma Hanner

Irma spent two years in the Thereisenstadt Ghetto in Czechoslovakia. She witnessed nothing but lies and deception, surviving the harshest conditions as a young girl all alone.

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Jack Fogel

Jack Fogel

Having survived five camps including Auschwitz, a death march, and being bombed by the Allies, Jack’s story is about great courage and a lot of luck.

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John Chaskiel

John Chaskiel

Aged 12, John buried his father who was murdered by a Nazi officer. His journey includes being hidden by a priest, transported to Auschwitz, liberated at Buchenwald.

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Sonia Wajcman

Sonia Wajcman

Sonja’s family heard, “Only G-d can help us now!” on their radio. It was time to escape Warsaw and attempt to survive elsewhere.

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Sonia Wajsenberg

Sonia Wajsenberg

Can anybody really understand what happened to the Jews of Europe? Sonia retained her faith in humanity despite the tragedies she encountered on her Holocaust journey.

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Stephanie Heller

Stephanie Heller

In Auschwitz, Dr. Mengele chose Stephanie and her twin sister to take part in his medical experiments. Ironically, it was a death march that saved their lives.

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Willy Lermer

Willy Lermer

Having endured brutality and torture in several camps including Auschwitz, Willy survived and was liberated weighing only 38 kilograms. His entire family perished in Belzec.

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Zosia Gettler

Zosia Gettler

Zosia and her husband, the victim of several beatings, left Warsaw in search of a safe place. Four weeks in a cattle wagon, destination Ukraine. Life here was unbearable.

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Pearl Recht

Pearl Recht

One of the “Seven Oaks,” Pearl left Warsaw with her boyfriend after the invasion. It was a dressing gown that possibly saved her life.

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Sarah Saaroni

Sarah Saaroni

Sarah was born in Poland in 1926. She hid as soon as deportations to Auschwitz began and survived by pretending to be Christian.

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Rosie Bruell

Rosie Bruell

The war was already lost when the Germans occupied Budapest in 1944. Hungary collaborated enthusiastically and deported half a million Jews to Auschwitz, including Rosie’s family.

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Suzanne Nozick

Suzanne Nozick

Living under antisemitic legislation until 1944 did not prepare Susanne for what came next. The fascist Arrow Cross instituted a reign of terror on the Hungarian Jews.

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George Ginsburg

George Ginsburg

First Kristallnacht, followed by a Kindertransport to Belgium. Five years in Auschwitz, a death march and a seemingly impossible escape saw George reunited with his mother.

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Pesia Helfenbaum

Pesia Helfenbaum

Pesia was born in a small Polish town in 1927. The Germans took control and life became total bedlam for the Jews. Humiliation and terror became the norm.

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Rosa Krakowski

Rosa Krakowski

Prior to 1939, Rosa’s family enjoyed a vibrant Jewish life, living happily with their Christian neighbours. Death greeted Rosa very early, but she had no idea this was only the beginning.

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Lulek Bron

Lulek Bron

Krakow-born Lulek was 14 when the war started. It was work that saved him, while his family died at Auschwitz. Lulek marched into Bergen-Belsen having survived 8 camps.

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Ruth Crane

Ruth Crane

Antisemitism ruled Ruth’s life as a young girl. Head held high, this proud Jew experienced the most atrocious loss of dignity, prayers and song keeping her alive.

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Rosa Goldblum

Rosa Goldblum

The dangers in Lodz persuaded Rosa’s family to stay with family nearby. Auschwitz awaited Rosa, but she was never prepared for what happened here.

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Maria Lewit

Maria Lewit

Her happy childhood changed when the army marched in. It was Maria’s non-Jewish aunt who hid the family in her village house outside Warsaw, saving their lives.

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Kitia Altman

Kitia Altman

Kitia moved into a crowded ghetto when war broke out. The number A-25441 is tattooed on her arm, reminding us of the horrors she experienced at Auschwitz.

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Maly Kohn

Maly Kohn

In Riga concentration camp, Maly befriended Luba, a young girl who risked her own life to save Jewish prisoners, including Maly and other young women from starvation.

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Fryda Schweitzer

Fryda Schweitzer

Fryda was 15 at the outbreak of war. New laws were immediately introduced in Sosnowiec and life changed completely for the Jewish inhabitants.

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John Lamovie

John Lamovie

John was a young boy when the Nazis occupied Paris. His father joined the French resistance, endangering the lives of everyone. Life for John would never be the same.

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Philip Maisel

Philip Maisel

Vilna was home to Philip when the Germans arrived and ordered the family to pack a bag and move into the Ghetto. Philip survived starvation, hard labour and deportation.

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Lusia Haberfield

Lusia Haberfield

Yellow stars, ghettos and Auschwitz were Lusia’s life as a young Polish girl. Having lost her father and young brother, Lusia was determined to survive.

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Tuvia Lipson

Tuvia Lipson

Tuvia and his family were sent into the Lodz Ghetto after the German invasion. Upon arrival at Auschwitz, Tuvia survived the ‘selection.’

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Paul Grinwald

Paul Grinwald

Paul was very young when Germany invaded France. He was hidden throughout the war and after many close encounters with Nazis, he and his family survived.

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Virtual Workshops

Our Virtual Workshops are interactive and facilitated by an expert Holocaust educator. This unique learning experience is custom built and designed to meet the specific needs of the teacher and their students.

Find out more

laptop featuring elderly man on video call
Survivor Paul Grinwald speaks with students during a virtual workshop.

Resources for Teachers & Students

For each virtual resource, the MHM Education team have written suggested learning activities and worksheets for students to complete. In addition, Teachers will find a specific guide with recommendations on some possible ways to use these resources in the classroom.

To view the free resources, please click the below button to complete your registration form and receive a password. All resources are only available via registration.
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