Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Joseph Birnholtz - July 28, 1982

Contents

Joseph Birnholtz was born in Częstochowa, Poland. When the war began, Joseph and his family were forced to live in the ghetto. When the ghetto was liquidated, he was separated from his family and forced to work at the HASAG factory near Częstochowa. After being liberated by the Russians in 1945, Joseph joined a kibbutz in Poland before eventually moving the United States and becoming a cantor.

  1. Introduction
  2. Life Before the War
  3. Start of War
  4. Being Removed from Home
  5. Forced Labor
  6. Being Removed from the Ghetto
  7. Getting in Trouble with the Germans
  8. Being Punished in Camp
  9. Camp Guards
  10. Getting Special Privileges
  11. Nearing Liberation
  12. Life in Camp
  13. Liberation
  14. Liberation II
  15. Life in Częstochowa After Liberation
  16. Joining a Kibbutz
  17. Deciding to Move the United States
  18. Life in Detroit
  19. Religious Life After the War
  20. Conclusion

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