Alex Greenberger

"I hope that I leave the next generation the idea that we must always work toward peace in the world. Do not be afraid to fight for a better life for your family and for future generations. I traveled with my family from Czechoslovakia to Israel to be in the Haganah, to Italy, to S. America, and finally to the United States to ensure a better life for my family and the generations to come. May we and the future generations live in peace."

Name at birth

Alexander Grunberger

Date of birth

04/27/1919

Where were you born?

Sobrance, Czechoslovakia

Name of father, occupation

Jacob, Butcher

Maiden name of mother, occupation

Anna, Homemaker

Immediate family (names, birth order)

Parents, nine siblings and me

How many in entire extended family?

25: nine first cousins, four aunts and uncles

Who survived the Holocaust?

7 out of a family of 25. Myself and three siblings and three of my first cousins.

I was in many labor camps before being taken to concentration camps. The labor camps were in Hungary, Russia, Romania, and Poland. Then to Mauthausen and Gunskirchen concentration camps where I was liberated by the U.S. Army.

Name of Concentration / Labor Camp(s)

Gunskirchen / Mauthausen / Stary Oskol

Where were you in the Former Soviet Union?

Stary Oskol, White Russia

Where did you go after being liberated?

I returned home and was married in August, 1945. We moved to Israel in 1949. My wife wanted to move to Canada where she learned she had a sister. There was no Canadian embassy in Israel, we went to Italy where there was one. However, we had difficulties getting into Canada and went first to Buenos Aries, Argentina and then to Paraguay. I had a hard time finding work and eventually found a job as a butcher. My employer was a past German Nazi. After two years, we were able to leave for America to Detroit where I found an aunt and an uncle. We arrived in Detroit in 1955. I found a job at the Eastern Market in Detroit working for a Hungarian Jewish man.

Occupation after the war

Butcher

Spouse

Anna, Seamstress

Children

Erika Singer, psychologist

Grandchildren

Three: Jacob, Justin, and Amanda

What do you think helped you to survive?

Initially I was able to have food to survive because I was a cook for the army in labor camp. Later I stayed alive with the hope that my family was still living and that I would be reunited with them, if I could stay alive long enough.

What message would you like to leave for future generations?

I hope that I leave the next generation the idea that we must always work toward peace in the world. Do not be afraid to fight for a better life for your family and for future generations. I traveled with my family from Czechoslovakia to Israel to be in the Haganah, to Italy, to S. America, and finally to the United States to ensure a better life for my family and the generations to come. May we and the future generations live in peace.