Irene Snitchler
"There should never be war anymore and never to forget what happened. No matter how much I would explain it, you cannot understand it. It was terrible; you cannot describe how bad it was. No one who didn’t go through it can understand how bad it was."
Name at birth
Irene Zuckerman
Date of birth
10/12/1927
Where were you born?
Where did you grow up?
Klusz, Romania (later Hungary)
Name of father, occupation
Edward,
Grocery and antique business
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Hermina Berko,
Helped in Family Store
Immediate family (names, birth order)
Parents, my sister Edith and I
Who survived the Holocaust?
Edith and I, we lost about 75 relatives
Name of Ghetto(s)
Name of Concentration / Labor Camp(s)
Spouse
Alexander Mann, Arthur Snitchler (both deceased)
Children
Sonya
Grandchildren
Two
What do you think helped you to survive?
I was young and healthy and full of life. I was together with my sister the whole time. G-d was with me, G-d helped me to survive. I was in Auschwitz, Ravensbrück (ammunition factory), Malho (bullet factory). My mother died at Ravensbrück two months before the war ended. We had so very little food; I don’t know how we survived. I’ve often asked myself, what was the purpose of my surviving? To have my grandsons, Jason and Gabriel.
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
There should never be war anymore and never to forget what happened. No matter how much I would explain it, you cannot understand it. It was terrible; you cannot describe how bad it was. No one who didn’t go through it can understand how bad it was.
Interviewer:
Charles Silow
Interview date:
05/22/2003
Experiences
Survivor's map
