Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center
Survivor Testimonies
Lila Williamson
Lila was born Liselott Koch in Mainz, Germany in 1923. Her mother died when she was about 5 and her sister Ruth was 3. Before World War II, Lila had a comfortable and sheltered life. […]
Read MoreLeonard Katz
Leonard was born in Dresden, Germany in 1923. His father was a lawyer and his mother was a housewife and amateur pianist. He had one younger brother, Gert. Leonard spoke German at home and had […]
Read MoreKen Wetcher
Ken Wetcher was born in 1941 in Bolshaya Rechka, a town in Siberia. At the time, the town was known for the Soviet forced labor camp there. Due to Nazi advancement into Poland and the […]
Read MoreKarel Van Dam
Karel Van Dam lived in Amsterdam with his family. He worked as a sales representative for a printing factory. His son, Jacques, described his father as having “respect for all people.” He was also involved […]
Read MoreJulian Goren
Julian Goren was born in 1935 in Poland. His father was a talented musician and conductor. His mother was a communist organizer. The family lived in Warsaw and later their neighborhood became the Warsaw Ghetto. […]
Read MoreJosef Lipshutz
Josef was born in 1918 in Krakow, Poland. He was born and raised in a traditional Jewish home. His mother was a housewife and helped his dad run his gift shop business. He had two […]
Read MoreJakob Fritz Holzberg
Jakob Fritz Holzberg was born in 1912 in Chorostkow, Poland. Today he goes by the name Fritz. Fritz grew up in a Jewish family, and his family moved to Vienna, Austria when he was twelve […]
Read MoreJacques Van Dam
Jacques grew up in Amsterdam, Netherlands, with his family. “I grew up like every normal Dutch kid grew up… I did not experience, as far as I remember, any anti-Semitism in the Netherlands.” German forces […]
Read MoreIlse Wischia
Ilse Wischia (born Ilse Linz) and her family lived in Rotenburg, Germany. After Kristallnacht, they fled to Frankfurt. Ilse’s father was arrested and taken to Buchenwald concentration camp. He was released due to his World […]
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