Oral+history

The holocaust was a very hard time for Jews in Europe. Hitler in Germany lead the Nazi group that believed that Jews were the main cause of the economic problems in Germany. Holocaust was from the Greek word meaning sacrifice by fire or immolation in english. The Nazi party believed that they were racially superior and the Jews were inferior.

Not only were Jews thought of inferior and killed but also they killed Gypsies, disabled people, and also many Slavic people. They also targeted the homosexuals. Most of these people were sent off to concentration camps in which they had to most of their belongings at home.

In 1933 the Jewish population was over 9 million. During the holocaust about of two out of every there jews were killed while the the Nazis were in the population. Many of the countries would not let that many people get out of the countries in Europe. Some were able to get out and be safe; those people were vert lucky to get out.

information received form http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005143

The Nazis made the final solution to kill off any of the people that were not like them. They first made the Jews were these big Jewish stars to identify them as being Jewish or Jude.

After making them identify themselves as being Jewish they put them into their segregated towns called Ghettos. They were all Jewish neighborhoods that were closed off from the outside world. Once they were chosen to go to the camps they were all packed into these train cars that carried them their. They were treated horribly. They were fed and got drinks that were barely enough to get by. They were worked to death or killed in the showers. Many at the end were liberated which was very good.

information received from http://history1900s.about.com/od/holocaust/tp/holocaust.htm

He was 20 years old at the time that he was taken and it was very hard for him to go and sad for his parents. He said that the camp was not named.
 * 1) How were you taken to the labor camp and describe the emotion around the time and your age?

It was just him that was taken to the labor camp. He mentioned that they did not talk at all to them and he was taking by a train. They train that was meant to hold 8 horses held over a 100 people. He said that there was no average day that they were just working to build roads for the army and did anything that they were asked. They were granted a small piece a bread to be shared between four people. The bread was even to small for the people to cut. Also they had a cup of coffee beans. There were NO fun things to do in the labor camps. All they did was work and occasionally watch people die. Mr. Kennedy stressed that the labor camps were not like the ones in northern Wisconsin; you were not at the labor camps for fun all their was to do was work. Also he said to not think about today like the prisoners have to go on the highway picking up garbage; in the labor camps the Nazis wanted the Jews dead and the Jews did their best to fight back. When I asked if they had to help each other to survive he said yes they did they could not really do it alone. He mentioned one time a man next to him died but he did not tell so that he could have his meal for the two extra days. When I asked him what was the hardest task for him he replied by saying that surviving was the hardest thing. He said that he did not even plan the next day or thought ahead he was just focusing on the surviving that day.
 * 1) Who in your family was taken or was it just yourself?
 * 1) What did they tell you when they were taking you to the mode of transportation?
 * 1) What was the average day like and what were you given to eat?
 * 1) Was their any source of entertainment durning the free time if you were granted any?

They were only allowed to wear what they had with them. There was nothing else given to them that they could wear, they wore what they had and nothing was replaced.
 * 1) What were the accommodations like?

They were only allowed to bring the stuff that they were wearing and he wore that clothes for the entire year that he was in the labor camps. If there were holes in the soles of the shoes then they had to just walk around in the broken shoes nothing else was given to him.
 * 1) What things were you able to bring to the labor camp?

After he was liberated by the Russians he had to walk back two weeks to his home. Also he said that it was not like the movies in which they came in with big tanks and flags he said it was like the movies in the sense there were tanks and planes fighting and that they were in the movie.
 * 1) What did you do after you were liberated?

He was able to come over to the U.S. by a scholarship to a college. He said that he was a very hard worker and that school helped him go to the U.S. He also mentioned that it was nearly impossible to get in to the U.S. at the time.
 * 1) How did you come to the United States?

Oral review The interview went very well and I learned a lot about labor camps that I did not know before. To start off I learned that there was nothing to do that was entertaining what so ever in the camps. Mr. Kennedy kept on stressing and which I thought was a very good point was that these camps were not like the camps that you think of when you think of fun summer camps; the camps for horrible labor camps in which you were worked until in many cases you died. Lucky for Mr. Kennedy he was not killed nor did he have numbers on his arms from the tattoos given at some of the other camps. At the time is was not known that the numbers were given to those at the the execution camps and he was not at one of those camps. In Europe he was identified with a colored arm band.When I asked him if what he thought about the American Holocaust Museum he said that it did a good representation and like myself he thought it was very emotional. I learned a lot of things that I did not know before and am glad that I had a privilege to be able to interview someone that had to endure the things that he did.