Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Abraham Pasternak - May 11, 1982

Contents

Abraham Pasternak was born in Betlan, Romania. Following the Hungarian occupation of Romania, Abraham and his family were sent to Dej to do forced labor. From there, the family was transported to Auschwitz, where his parents and youngest brother were sent to death. Abraham and his remaining brothers were then sent to several other camps including Buchenwald, Schlieben and Zeitz. Abraham was liberated in Theresienstadt. After the war he moved to the United States and was soon after drafted into the American armed forces where he served as a chaplain before being discharged.

Link to Portraits of Honor Project

  1. Introduction
  2. Life Under Occupation
  3. Being Transported in Boxcars
  4. Arrival in Auschwitz
  5. Life in Auschwitz
  6. Leipzig and Buchenwald
  7. Fate of Family
  8. Pretending to be Blind
  9. Life in Buchenwald
  10. Relations with Non-Jews
  11. Relationships with Other Prisoners
  12. Abuse by Guards in Camp
  13. Reasons for Survival
  14. Resistance in Camp
  15. Jewish Community
  16. Gendarmes
  17. Life in Betlan During the War
  18. Anti-Semitism
  19. Forced Labor
  20. Liberation
  21. Returning Home
  22. Life in the American Army
  23. Sharing Story
  24. Conclusion

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