I had a completely different mindset going into this video. I did not expect to hear what I did. Brigitte is an amazing woman in every way possible. She was brave, strong, heroic, intelligent, and very hardworking.
Born August 15, 1924. She is from a small town named Memla off the Baltic coast. She came from a very well to do family. Her father owned a textile business, and was very highly regarded in the community. Her mother hosted, and attended several parties. She went to school for many years and became very knowledgeable. They were in a very tight nit "German Jewish" community. They observed all of the Jewish holiday, and especially the Passover. She was an only child.
Brigitte was first introduced to Nazi's at the dinner table. Her city was a port for the Nazi party and the ideas of this were discussed by her mother and father. As time progressed, she moved on in life, and the war was going on. Her mother became very ill, and her small city was raided, and driven to a ghetto. When Brigitte, her mother, and father reached the "selection process", they were lucky enough to be sent to the "good" side, and their lives were spared. Not long after, her mother died of continuing illness. She and her father were assigned jobs where they made a small living. After months of living in the ghetto, her father came into contact with someone from the outside, and was able to sneak Brigitte out of the ghetto. She remained in hiding at a friend’s farm for several months where she then became liberated when Russia infiltrated. She meet another Jewish girl, very young, that she took care of. The both found homes as refugees. She was then placed into a refugee program, and moved from country to country within Europe. She ended up in Italy before she moved to the US with the help of her father, and made a new life for herself.
She honestly did not seem to have many consequences after the Holocaust, other than something her daughter mentioned at the end of the interview. She was never a mother to be carefree. She always has something on her mind, and is constantly doing anything that needs to be done. I very much admire Mrs. Brigitte Altman.
Eva Safferman-
This is a sad, yet hopeful story. In many ways similar to Brigitte, but Eva experience many you could say, typical, Holocaust occurrences. It is amazing how fast this young lady had to grow up, and learn to fight for life.
Born in Lodz, Poland on April 15, 1928. Her family would be considered upper-class, as her father had a wonderful job being a business man. He was able to provide nice apartment with a bathroom. They also had a maid. I do find it neat that both Jewish families had the meal of gefilte fish. This is one way in which the stories are similar. Eva went to public school through 6th grade. Her family took vacations and she went to camps.
One camp she went to was an eating camp where she learned not to be a picky eater. When she came back from that camp, that's when things began to change. There was not much to eat, and her community was forced to wear the Jewish star. He mother, like Brigitte's mother, hid valuables, and close possessions. She did it just in time as the Germans came to her community to raid. Her immediate family was taken, and sent to burn. Soon after Eva, her mother and father moved to a descent apartment in the very large ghetto that was close by. This ghetto was very large. She went to school there for a while, but it was shut down, and she went to work in a factory. The small family lived in constant fear. Sure enough her father was taken off the street by German's, loaded into a truck, and was never seen or heard from again. After this they moved to a house across the ghetto with an aunt, and small cousin. The company was nice, but the conditions were not better. She stayed there for 3 years, and in 1944, Eva, her mother, her aunt and small cousin were sent to Auschwitz. They were as well sent to the "good" side. Just her and her mother. Conditions only got worse, and she was forced to work. Eventually they were both chosen. What for they were unsure. They were both shaved bald, stripped of their clothes, and sent through baths. On the other side they wer givin a pair of clothes and shoes. They then were put on a train that led them to the 'death march'. The marches lead them to Hamburg where they both remained until liberation day, April 15, 1945. Eva's Birthday. They soon moved to Sweden, lived for 3 years, and an uncle in America sent their Visa's. Eva got married to another Holocaust survivor, and had children. As a consequence, she always keeps her mother with her. She has protected her for to long, and not let her go. She is also fearful sometimes when she reads the paper that something like this will happen again. She prays that it will not.
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