Kestenberg Archive

Jozef Witkowski called the interviewee as he talked to him "colleague" which was unusual. This can be understood by the fact that Witkowski himself was imprisoned in Auschwitz as a child and wrote a book about it. ; LZ was born on 8 July 1930. All his family was arrested by the Nazis and sent to different concentration camps. He was arrested in 1940 in Dabrowa Gornicza ghetto because he was sent there by the underground to help to smuggle food and to bring their correspondence to the Aryan side. The underground wanted to prevent closing the ghetto fully but a collaborator informed the Germans of their activities. LZ was arrested, and tortured for three months until he admitted his activities and disclosed the names of his partners. All the members of his family and two his friends were arrested too. He was imprisoned in Myslowice prison, where the adult prisoners helped the children to survive the harsh conditions. Then he was sent to the childrens camp in Lodz. LZ described in detail the way of life at the camp, the hunger, the hard work and the cruel beatings suffered by the children, especially those who were sick. He personally suffered from many diseases, was hospitalized and remembered the efforts of a Jewish physician from the Lodz ghetto who treated him. He also describes the cruelty of Bayerowa who was the manager of the girls camp and of the hospital. He agreed with the definition of the interviewer that all these deeds can be seen as efforts of genocide. LZ cried much, therefore they stopped the interview and continued it the next day. ; He was asked about his dreams- he suffered from fears and nightmares. Usually he avoided talking about the years in the camp because it was so hurtful but he had told his children about his experiences. For the most part he believed in God except for a brief period after the Holocaust. In his opinion, the personell of the camps should be punished by incarcerating them in the same camps in the same horrific conditions for a year. He doesn't hate all the Germans and even considered learning German. He continues to suffer from ill health: he suffered a stroke and was in danger of having his leg amputated.