Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Irene Sobel - September 8, 1998

An interview with Irene Sobel (Miller), a Holocaust survivor, conducted by Dr. Sidney Bolkosky, Professor of History at the University of Michigan--Dearborn. Irene was born in Warsaw, Poland and lived with her parents and sister in a Jewish neighborhood of the city. The family was not religious but embraced the Jewish culture. After the Germans invaded Poland, her family decided to escape to Russia fearing they would be prosecuted for being Communist. After being denied entrance into Russia, Mr. Miller escaped over the border and came back with falsified documents to get the family across. After residing in Ignatki for a short time, Soviet transport trains picked the family up and shipped them east to a Communist work camp in Siberia. After being released from the camp, the family was transported to Tashkent where Irene's parents were forced to work on a collective farm and the girls were put into an orphanage. Mr. Miller became ill and died during a dysentery epidemic even though Mrs. Miller walked all night to try and get him antibiotics. After the war Irene and her family returned to Poland where Irene was put into a Krakow orphanage because her mother couldn't support her. Eventually Irene and her mother moved to Haifa, Israel where Irene met her husband, Howard Sobel, an American living in Israel. Irene then moved to Cleveland with her husband and had three children, later moving to Detroit. Irene went to school, obtaining graduate degrees, and achieved a successful professional career. Irene and her husband later divorced.

Link to Portraits of Honor Project

1. Introduction
2. Religion
3. Warsaw Street Life
4. Parent's Political Affiliation
5. Memories of the Spanish Civil War
6. Political Home Life
7. Jewish Culture
8. Anti-Semitism
9. Dangers of Being Communist
10. Returning to Warsaw After the War
11. Fate of Extended Family
12. Writing Poetry
13. Hearing About Nazi Horrors
14. Childhood Before the War
15. Bombing of Warsaw
16. Seeing Someone Be Killed
17. Seeing German Soldiers
18. Life During German Occupation
19. Decision to Escape to Russia
20. Preparing to Cross Border
21. Being Left in the No Man's Zone
22. Life in the No Man's Zone
23. Escaping to Białystok
24. Life in Ignatki
25. Fate of Mother
26. Mother Returns
27. Being Transported East
28. In Transport
29. Arriving in Siberia
30. Life in the Labor Camp
31. Survival on the Tundra
32. Food in the Labor Camp
33. Hunger Stories
34. Location of Labor Camp
35. Being Prisoners
36. Opinions of Stalin
37. Getting Permission to Leave Labor Camp
38. Being Isolated with Other Poles
39. No Hint of Holocaust in Soviet Union
40. Leaving the Labor Camp
41. On the Train for Weeks
42. Going to Tashkent
43. Forced onto Collective Farm
44. Live on the Communal Farm
45. Moved into an Orphanage
46. Conditions at the Orphanage
47. Keeping Busy
48. Father Becomes Ill
49. Mother Moves to Orphanage
50. Being Malnourished
51. Mother Survives the War
52. Moving into Krakow Orphanage
53. Opportunities in Orphanage
54. Exodus of Jews Back to Poland
55. Knowledge of the KGB
56. Being with other Jews in Orphanage
57. Positive Interaction with Natives in Soviet Union
58. Negative Interaction with the Natives of the Soviet Union
59. Religion in Soviet Union
60. Lack of Jewish Culture in Krakow Orphanage
61. Living in Poland After the Holocaust
62. Getting an American Pen Pal
63. Help from Pen Pal's Family
64. Arriving in Krakow
65. Moving to Israel
66. Meeting Her Husband
67. Gaining an Interest in College
68. Life in Israel
69. Wanting to Move to America
70. Adjusting to American Life
71. Starting College
72. Finishing Her Degree
73. Trouble With Marriage
74. Sharing Story
75. Sharing Story II
76. Feeling Lonely
77. Does Not Feel Like a Survivor
78. Proud of Son
79. Memories
80. Sympathy for Biafran Children
81. Writing a Book
82. Being Remarried
83. Conclusion