Zyta Eliahu - February 3, 2008
Being a Holocaust Refugee
Do you identify yourself as a survivor?
Well, you know, there's been a little argument about that. I always said a survivor is someone who went through the concentration camp. He survived the Holocaust. We are Holocaust refugees because we managed to get away from the Holocaust. I don't consider myself a Holocaust survivor and I, and I don't feel I'm entitled because I didn't go through those horrors of the concentration camp.
But you weren't supposed to be here.
That's why I still...
You weren't supposed to be here, I mean, you were, you were part of the target.
Okay, well a lot of Jews, you know, managed to get away to get away to the States, managed to get away to South America, ran away to Russia. You think Hitler intended to kill the Jews in America as well? He was going to conquer America and kill all the Jews?
I suppose that's true.
So, I, I really, I really considered survivor who went through the horror of the concentration camp. We are Holocaust refugees because we managed to get away before war broke out.
That's a good distinction, I suppose.
We wouldn't have been able to get away had war broken out as proved with the last group of children that didn't succeed to leave except Ruth Federman as you say, so how I really don't...
You were here when the War of Independence was.
Yes, that's right.
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