Fani Adelsberg
"They should never experience what we did, G-d forbid. What they did to the Jews was enough. There should never be war."
Name at birth
Fani Torten
Year of birth
1924
Where were you born?
Where did you grow up?
Drohobycz, Poland
Name of father, occupation
David,
sold children's buggies, cribs, and outdoor furniture
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Malka Just,
Homemaker, was a very religious woman
Immediate family (names, birth order)
Parents, Dov, Rose, Sala and me
Who survived the Holocaust?
My sister Rose and me
Bernard was taken to the Russian army and was never heard from again. I survived together with my sister Rose (Kowait). Sala Torten was killed at home in Drohobycz. Sala was a Bais Yakov (religious school teacher); Ukrainians caught her. She had been in hiding with some others. I went to their hiding place with some food; Ukrainians found us, I ran in one direction and Sala the other. Just as Sala was about to be safe, she was caught. My family knew someone in authority and tried to have her released. The man they were dealing with was himself, killed prior to her release and Sala was subsequently killed.
On the second day of Pesach (Passover), October, 1944, I was taken to Auschwitz with my sister, Rose. Previously, we had been under Russian occupation for twenty-two months which was not as bad as under the Germans.
Name of Ghetto(s)
Name of Concentration / Labor Camp(s)
Spouse
Norman Adelsberg
Children
Margorie, Nancy, and Sandy
Grandchildren
Ten grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren.
What do you think helped you to survive?
Faith, luck, and common sense. You had to be lucky. I was at Plaszow, the Germans were sending people to Auschwitz. A German took down my name but not my number. When my name was called, I didn’t answer. They did not have my number and so I was spared going to Auschwitz at that time.
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
They should never experience what we did, G-d forbid. What they did to the Jews was enough. There should never be war.
Interviewer:
Charles Silow
Interview date:
04/04/2011
Experiences
Survivor's map
