Ilse Camis
"Ilse was never one to lament the challenges she had faced (or the losses), but she always felt it important to share her story and that of the Holocaust so that it may never happen again. She did a great job of planting seeds for our family to learn more about the Holocaust and family history. Ilse was an ardent supporter of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum and participated in several March of the Living events. "
Name at birth
Ilse Gross
Year of birth
1925
Where did you grow up?
England
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Margarethe Kollman,
Domestic worker
Immediate family (names, birth order)
Only child
Who survived the Holocaust?
Ilse Camis, Gert Freund (first cousin)
Ilse was primarily raised by her grandparents. In 1939, at the age of 13, her mother, who was working as a domestic worker in England, arranged for her Kindertransport passage. In May 1939, Ilse was taken to the train station by her grandparents and uncle (Gert’s father) and never saw any of them again. (Gert was a Kindertransport survivor as well and left Vienna in March 1939). Ilse arrived in England and lived in a hostel in Tynemouth, later the lake district, until she aged out in 1942. She lived with her mother for a short while at that point, working as a librarian for Boots the Chemist. In 1944 she joined the Royal Air Force Women’s Auxiliary and served as a flight mechanic until the war ended in 1945. She met and married an Englishman, Ernest Camis, that same year. They lived in England until 1956 when they immigrated to the U.S. and settled in Detroit.
Where did you go after being liberated?
Ilse and her husband lived in England until 1956 when they came to the United State and settled in Detroit.
When did you come to the United States?
1956
Where did you settle?
Detroit, Michigan
Occupation after the war
Librarian, Dental Assistant
When and where were you married?
Ilse and her husband married in 1945 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Spouse
Ernest Camis
Children
Robert Camis, Susan Camis
Grandchildren
Jason Camis, Jody Gorenflo (Camis)
What do you think helped you to survive?
Ilse was fortunate that the Kindertransport existed. She remembered being taken to the train station, but beyond that until she got to the hostel in England she didn’t remember much.
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
Ilse was never one to lament the challenges she had faced (or the losses), but she always felt it important to share her story and that of the Holocaust so that it may never happen again. She did a great job of planting seeds for our family to learn more about the Holocaust and family history. Ilse was an ardent supporter of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum and participated in several March of the Living events.
Interviewer:
Jason Camis (grandson)
Interview date:
01/05/2025
