Charles Strassberg
"You have to be always watching what you’re doing and not believe everybody. Make an assessment; in the camps we had to make up our minds, it was very dangerous. Judge for yourself what’s good for you. "
Name at birth
Salo Strassberg
Date of birth
12/15/1914
Name of father, occupation
Joseph,
Clothing salesman
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Helen Fall,
Homemaker
Immediate family (names, birth order)
Parents, Max, Charles, Ella and Berthie
How many in entire extended family?
50
Who survived the Holocaust?
Two sisters and me
I ran away after Kristallnacht in 1938 to Belgium. I was married and had a daughter. My daughter and I went into hiding. Later, she went into hiding with other relatives.
Name of Concentration / Labor Camp(s)
Auschwitz Birkenau
/
Bergen Belsen
/
Gurs
/
Gusen
/
Hanover
/
Laura Hutte
/
Mauthausen
/
San Cyprian
Where were you in hiding?
After Kristallnacht in Belgium
Occupation after the war
Barber
Spouse
Helen,
Cashier at William Beaumont Hospital
Grandchildren
Three
What do you think helped you to survive?
My morale, I wanted to live. I knew my parents and wife were dead. I wanted to live, to survive. I do everything to live now thanks to my wife’s support.
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
You have to be always watching what you’re doing and not believe everybody. Make an assessment; in the camps we had to make up our minds, it was very dangerous. Judge for yourself what’s good for you.
Interviewer:
Charles Silow
Interview date:
04/03/2011
To learn more about this survivor, please visit:
The Zekelman Holocaust Center Oral History Collection
https://www.holocaustcenter.org/visit/library-archive/oral-history-department/strassberg-charles-s/
https://www.holocaustcenter.org/visit/library-archive/oral-history-department/strassberg-charles-s/
Experiences
Survivor's map
