Interview with Phyllis Schnur,

Interview Summary

Phyllis Schnur discusses her early life in Lodz, Poland immediately before and during the Second World War, explaining that in 1940, the Germans who had occupied Poland confined all Jews to a ghetto in the city. She tells of her brother's illness that led to his separation from his family and his disappearance. She describes the liquidation of the ghetto, which she and her mother avoided as long as they could. She recounts their relocation to Auschwitz concentration camp, where her mother was killed. She herself was moved to several other camps in succession. Her final move was to Bergen-Belsen, where she may have died of disease were it not for the medical attention she received upon the camp's liberation at the end of the war. She tells of her move to Sweden, where she married, and of her struggles with religion after the war. In the final portion of the interview, she shows photographs of the Lodz Ghetto to the interviewer.

Interview Keyword

Auschwitz (Concentration camp) Bergen-Belsen (Concentration camp) Family life Holocaust survivors. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Jewish ghettos Litzmannstadt-Getto (?o?dz?, Poland) Lodz Ghetto World War Two World War, 1939-1945--Jews.

Interview LC Subject

World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps

Interview Rights

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Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.