Bella Camhi
"I want to know why they hate us so much. Please don’t forget. You see, the ones that are going to remember is me. People like me. We have to continue for the second and third generations and for all others so that they don’t forget. If we want to keep it alive, it must be told."
Name at birth
Bella Chico
Date of birth
06/15/1925
Where did you grow up?
Salonika, Greece
Name of father, occupation
Aaron,
Factory worker
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Matika (Mazal Tov) Button,
Homemaker
Immediate family (names, birth order)
Parents and four children: Bella, Sara, Joseph and Vidal
How many in entire extended family?
200
Who survived the Holocaust?
Me and two cousins, Louisa and Eliezer
Following the German occupation of Greece, my mother, father, family, and I were placed in the Salonika Ghetto. In 1943, my family was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau where everyone, except me, was gassed on arrival. I was 18, my sister Sara was 11, Joseph 7, Vidal 5. I was assigned to work in the “Kanada Kommando" and my younger sister was placed in the "Kinderblock" from where she was later sent to the gas chambers. My 11 year old sister always cried for our mother. I had a gift for languages; I worked as a translator, learned German and Polish. My parents spoke Turkish; I knew Greek, Spanish, and Hebrew. Sometime in 1944, I was moved out of Auschwitz-Birkenau, loaded onto a wagon, and later abandoned in an empty field. After being liberated, I walked to Munich, Germany. I returned to Salonika and later immigrated to the United States in 1951.
Name of Ghetto(s)
Name of Concentration / Labor Camp(s)
Spouse
Sam Camhi,
Painter
Children
Jack, Tilly, Marsha, and Steven
Grandchildren
Two: Melissa and Elie
What do you think helped you to survive?
I had the ability to speak Polish and German. I always believe, no matter how dark the day is for me, I’m going to make it, I’m going to survive. I wanted to see the end of it. It was like G-d gave me so much power. No, I was not afraid, but I was all alone. I must be made of iron. I wanted to live; I wanted to see the end of it. I grew up all my life suffering, we had nothing to eat, nothing to wear. It was no life. We got a bath every three weeks; four kids had to use the same bath water.
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
I want to know why they hate us so much. Please don’t forget. You see, the ones that are going to remember is me. People like me. We have to continue for the second and third generations and for all others so that they don’t forget.
If we want to keep it alive, it must be told.
If we want to keep it alive, it must be told.
Interviewer:
Charles Silow
Interview date:
07/31/2011
To learn more about this survivor, please visit:
The Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive, University of Michigan
https://holocaust.umd.umich.edu/camhi/
https://holocaust.umd.umich.edu/camhi/