Jordan Byrum Mr.

Neuburger English 102-127 9 October 2012 Ursula Levy Interview Summary

Ursula Levy is a Holocaust survivor who is from Ausnabrook, Germany. Her story starts when she was about three years old. Her father was sent to a concentration camp and sustained injuries to his legs. He was later sent to the hospital where he died from a gangrene infection. After her fathers death her mother sent her and her brother to live in a convent that fed malnourished children but secretly hid about fifty Jewish children among the hundreds of Catholic children. They stayed here for about four years before Holland was captured and the convent was forced to give up all the Jewish children to be placed in concentration camps. After being placed in the camp they were essentially saved because the camp leader was told they were half Catholic, because of their fair skin and blue eyes. This put doubt in the leaders mind as to their heritage and they were not exterminated. After two years they were sent to an orphanage barrack to live. After being moved around several times they were put on a train for thirteen days. In this time they had no food and only drank from puddles on the ground when they stopped. Ursula described the ride as them driving around in circles because the war was coming to an end so the train could not get out anywhere. When they stopped the Jews were allowed to walk around outside to stretch their legs. Ursula described how they could have escaped at this time but never did because their minds were so weakened by hunger that it never occurred to

them. After the thirteen days on the train it came to a halt and there was yelling outside where the German offices were being arrested. Once all of the deceased were unloaded from the train the remaining people were told to go to a little town not far away that had been abandoned. Immediately everyone started going through houses to get food to prepare to live for a while. After returning to their hometown it was revealed their mother had died several years before. Ursula and her brother were sent to live with an Aunt and Uncle in Chicago where they lived relatively normal lives and went to college.

Quotes like a miracle all of my fears disappeared. I never thought we would get killed. Like I say, it would have been very easy to snatch that piece of bread from me, but no one ever did. I find that very remarkable considering that I cant ride public transportation in Chicago or L.A. with a little chain around my neck, for fear someone might grab it. These were starving people and a crumb of bread meant the difference between life and death. Every day I saw open wagons piled high with corpses. With just their arms and their legs dangling over the side. Without and dignity.