Ben Sweet
"Young people should have a profession, not to depend on someone to give. I was a crane operator."
Name at birth
Berel Ziskind
Date of birth
03/04/1921
Where did you grow up?
Lodz, Poland
From Prushkov (14 kilometers from Warsaw), I fled back to Lodz where my mother was. The Germans thought I was a Folksdeusche as I knew German fluently. I fled to Russia away from the Germans.
Name of Concentration / Labor Camp(s)
Where were you in hiding?
I was in Russian-occupied Finland and worked in the forest cutting lumber in the woods. It was 60 degree below zero in deep, deep snow. I was strong as a horse. The Russians saved a million Jews. If you worked you lived. With the Germans, the more you worked, the more they beat you.
Occupation after the war
Crane Operator
What do you think helped you to survive?
Knowing the German language and I was young and I was strong.
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
Young people should have a profession, not to depend on someone to give. I was a crane operator.
Interviewer:
Charles Silow
Interview date:
02/15/2011
Experiences
Survivor's map
