Abraham Weintraub

"Don't forget you are a Jew. You are never going to eliminate that disease of anti-Semitism that goes back so far."

Name at birth
Avraham Weintraub
Date of birth
03/17/1923
Where were you born?
Where did you grow up?
Zamosc, Poland
Name of father, occupation
Wolf, Shoemaker
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Sara Begleibter, Homemaker
Immediate family (names, birth order)
My parents and me, my brother Eli who escaped to Russia and died in Boston in 1960, my sister Zipporah who escaped to Russia. She later moved to Israel after the war, passed away in 2005.
How many in entire extended family?
Large extended family
Who survived the Holocaust?
My brother, sister and me
  I became a cabinet maker at a very young age and this saved my life.  I lied about my age.  I said I was 13, not 10 so that I could get training.  When the Germans came to Zamosc, I built barracks at a military camp there.  I was there from 1939 until1943.  In 1943, I was sent to Majdanek, working in a munitions factory.  From 1943 to 1944, I was at Skarzysko-Kamienna. From Sept 1, 1944- Jan 16, 1945 I was at Czestochowa.
 
I felt that life was not worth surviving.  I felt guilty not going with the rest of my family.  My family was killed after Zamosc.  My friend and I ran away to a village where a Polish person helped us.
Name of Ghetto(s)
Name of Concentration / Labor Camp(s)
Where did you go after being liberated?
I worked in Gauting, Germany near Munich in the U.S. zone until 1949 as a joiner, stayed until 1951.
When did you come to the United States?
In 1951, we were sponsored by the Jewish community in Little Rock, Arkansas. I went to work the next day after arriving.
Where did you settle?
Detroit in 1952, where I had friends and could make better money
Occupation after the war
Cabinet Making for Max Saberoff
When and where were you married?
1947. I met my wife in Munich, Germany after the war.
Spouse
Evelyn (deceased), Secretary
Children
Wolf, (born in Germany), photographer in Brooklyn, NY Rena, practical nurse in Ferndale
What do you think helped you to survive?
My skill as a cabinet maker.
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
Don't forget you are a Jew. You are never going to eliminate that disease of anti-Semitism that goes back so far.
Interviewer:
Charles Silow
Interview date:
02/13/2011

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