Freda Magnus - July 22, 1982
Reasons for Survival
What do you--how do you attribute the fact you survived?
Like I told you, one thing is I was young, I was young and I was lucky. The only thing I was, was young--I was lucky I came to this little camp that was clean, and, and more presentable working place. I made ammunition for those little watches for that ??? bomb--for the bombs, you know? It wasn't a big heavy job, you know? And on a clean place and I wasn't a big eater so when they gave me a piece of bread for a whole week, I had it for a whole week, you understand? That's why I survive. And then when I got sick and when I came to Bergen-Belsen and I got sick of um, typhus I was lucky two days later they came, if they wouldn't come I wouldn't be, I wouldn't be alive. You understand this? It was only mine--I was lucky.
Was there any experiences that stand out more than any others?
No, I don't think so, I don't think so because you see, I show you my brothers were all young people and nobody survived. I had cousins also from the same, you know, the same city and we live close together--we had been very close. My cousin--five children--five young girls all just as young as I am and nobody survived, nobody. It's unbelievable. So it was only luck and only how much you could take it. If I wouldn't go to this little camp where there was--I wouldn't be here.
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