survivor testimony 1

Anne DeCamillo Mr.Neuburer Eng. 102-120 March 11, 2013 Essay Response Survivor Testimony In this interview Gustav Goldberg interviews holocaust survivor Hans Werner Levy Known now by Henry Laurant.Laurant was born May 28, 1924 in Koenigsberg Germany.Laurant had an older sister growing up and does recall his life before the war and before the persecution of Jewish families.Laurant’s father was a medical doctor and had his own medical practice so growing up Laurant’s family was well off financially. Laurant reflects on the first time he encountered anti-semitism and refers to the age of about five years old, when he was walking down the street and a group of German children started yelling things at him and calling him bad names. At the time Laurant was confused and Quotes that “he was terrified and confused thinking they had the wrong kid.” Laurant goes on to explain how eventually after his father had his own medical practice for nearly 20 years and eventually lost it due to the german’s, however, at this time there were no restrictions on career fields for the Jewish. So at this time Laurant and his family moved to Berlin where his father changed career fields and started doing Psychoanalyst. The family was excited to get out of the town they were residing in and to start a new school and to be unknown was a good thing at this time and it was approximately 1936. Laurant explains how his mother and father were non religious and did not practice the religion as many other families they knew did. But for Laurant he wanted to partake in many of the traditions and his family supported him. For example Laurant explains how he had a formal celebration for his Bar mitzvah. And how he introduced many things to his family such as the Friday night dinner and prayer in which his family partook with him as well.But none the less he explains his parents as being non religious. Laurant also goes in to explain how all of the changes in Germany and the surrounding areas were very gradual. Although, after the Olympics 1938. That’s when things really started to change. Laurant goes into a story in which This man goes to the Nazi party offices after hearing of the death of his parents and finds the highest ranked person and killed him then turns himself into the police. Well the Germans used this in their propaganda against the jews and shortly after is Nov. 10th the night of kristalnacht. Laurant remembers leaving their home to hide out and luckily no one came to where they were staying . As time goes on and things start to become worse Laurants father finds a way to send him to England So Laurant is sent away to safety and the impression that the separation between him and his family is temporary stays with him until the war hits because until then he was able to keep in touch with his family on a regular but after the war started it became more difficult. Laurant later learns of the fate of his sister and then the fate of his parents. In 1971 Laurant returns to Berlin and is given the documentation of his mother and fathers arrest in which Laurant finds out his parents were sent to Auswich. Later Laurant moves to America where he married and remarried a few times and explains the guilt he feels as a survivor and the guilt he feels for leaving his parents but in reality there was nothing he could do.