Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Alexander Schleifer - August 1, 1982

You mentioned earlier that you, you found out somehow that your father was in the next barracks?

I found, I found out because, you know, when you get in, you got barracks next to each barracks and you got a yard. And I found out some of the guys who were in the hospital, you know, and they were--that he was in that barracks with him. And then I found out a few days later that he had the typhus so I used to give him my bread and I took his soup. Then, my father, a few days later, he passed away. Within that month he passed away, but the guys didn't want to tell me. I was told on the way home after we got liberated. [pause] That was the thing.

Before this, before he passed away you were able to speak with him freely? You were able...

Yes, yes I talked to him until, as I said--then, then one day he didn't come to the--because, you know, you had to come to the window--we exchanged the things in a window and he, he didn't come to the window. This one particular fellow, which I knew him, he come to the window and he says to him that he's sick that he's got the typhus, whatnot, and he don't feel good so he exchanged the things for a few days, just before then we got left. You see, they cleaned all our barracks out and those barracks were cleaned out and we went on a train. And, I was looking for him, but I couldn't find him no place. And as, you know, they have more wagons--more, more trains. In other words, all these, these guys which would be brought in the last month or so. In each barracks, I don't know how many thousand Jews they had. They loaded them on the different uh, wagons--I mean on different trains now--got no more wagons, but trains--and tried to get them out. Didn't want, didn't want to leave him at the, at the uh, Dachau before the, uh, before the uh, Allies coming, you know.

So, these uh, these are the prisoners never, never told you about your father.

That he died, no. I found out after we got liberated on the way home.