Alexandria Gibson Larry Neuburger Eng 102 117 19 March 2013 Holocaust Survivor Testimony Summary: Malka Baran

Malka Baran was born in Warsaw, Poland, on January 30, 1927. Her and her family lived in a one bedroom, one kitchen apartment in a very Jewish neighborhood. Her father had a printer shop that was located in the same building where they lived. In 1939, her brother was preparing for Bar Mitzvah. At this time she also noticed teachers and doctors disappearing, as the German SS men occupied Poland. In 1943, or so, her parents quietly woke her and her brother, as they saw SS men lining up in the streets. A few minutes later those men came busting and yelling for her and her family to get outside. The selection started taking place. Men would yell, Left, right, left, right and her mother and a girl that worked for her mother went one direction, while her, her brother, and father went another. She never saw her mother again. She was placed in a small ghetto, along with her father, brother and other Jews. They were sent to work, young girls like her were sent to clean houses, while men and boys were sent to work on railroads and other things. Eventually her brother and father never came back. She was later informed they were shot in the back while carrying rails for the railroad. After that she was taken to a labor camp. While there was still some shooting that took place, there were no gas chambers or anything torturous like that. A two and a half year old boy somehow ended up in the barracks where she was placed. His mother was placed in the same barracks, but at first denied being the boys mother, not knowing they would not give him up to the SS men. The boy and his mother

survived. She was in that came until January 1945. One morning the German supervisors disappeared and a young Jewish man came yelling that they were free and the Germans were running away. Eventually they ran out, and hid in basements until it was safe to come out. There was still shooting occurring. A Jewish organization was created to take care of the Jews. She met a Russian Jewish soldier who took an interest in helping her and her friend. They were taken care of by the Russians until the war ended in May, 1945. Quote 1: I think I didnt think of my parents because I expected to join them. We didnt expect to be surviving. Quote 2: Uproot the prejudice and the hatred. Learn to know people for what they are. Do not despair when something terrible happens because there is always change.