Henry Pestka
"To never let anything like this happen to any group of people. To resist hatred and scapegoating."
Name at birth
Henry Pestka
Date of birth
07/29/1919
Where were you born?
Where did you grow up?
Ciechanow, Poland
Name of father, occupation
Saul Pestka,
Land developer
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Marie Bergman,
Merchant
Immediate family (names, birth order)
Six
Who survived the Holocaust?
Only me
In 1940 I was picked up by the Gestapo and sent to Auschwitz and ultimately to other camps. I survived as a painter and saved several other people in the process. In 1944, while interned in Germany, I escaped with two other prisoners while on a forced march. We hid in a field and were near death when found by members of the Free French Army. I joined the Polish Battalion and served for the duration of the war. Ironically, one of my duties was to guard German prisoners of war. I am the sole survivor of my family.
Name of Concentration / Labor Camp(s)
Where were you in hiding?
In a field in Germany
Where did you go after being liberated?
Paris, France
When did you come to the United States?
1946
Occupation after the war
Land developer, Commercial Real Estate
When and where were you married?
1948 in Grand Rapids, MI
Spouse
Beatrice
Children
Steven, attorney/judge Linda, teacher, counselor, real estate
Grandchildren
Three
What do you think helped you to survive?
I was lucky and had a strong desire to survive
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
To never let anything like this happen to any group of people. To resist hatred and scapegoating.
Interviewer:
Charles Silow
Interview date:
04/04/2011
Experiences
Survivor's map
