Joseph Feibusch
"There’s always hope. No matter where we are, there’s always hope. If you’re on the bottom there’s only one way to go, up. I always had hope, if you’re too high, you can only go down, if you’re too low, you can only go up."
Date of birth
12/30/1920
Where did you grow up?
Przemysl, Poland
Name of father, occupation
Usher,
Grocery Store Owner
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Chaya Schwartz,
Helped in store
Immediate family (names, birth order)
Parents, five sons: Dov Naer, Jacob, me , Samuel, and Feivel; and two sisters: Leah and Rochel. Rochel died in the epidemic of 1918 or 1919.
How many in entire extended family?
We had a very large family
Who survived the Holocaust?
Some cousins and myself
In 1939, Przemsyl was occupied by Russia and became under Russian control. We were now Russian citizens. In 1940, the Russians took me to work in central Russia. Among my jobs was working in a coal mine. The rest of my family stayed behind and were killed by the Germans when they later occupied Przemysl.
My father was an Austrian soldier in World War I. He had been wounded and died a natural death while under German occupation. There was much hunger. I learned from a neighbor after the war, that my mother was sent to Belzec death camp. Two of my brothers died while under German occupation, the other two perished in a concentration camp.
I came back home after the war, but no one was there. We heard about the Kielce pogrom, and we panicked. We felt we should leave Poland. I went to Silesia to join the Bricha. I went from Austria to Germany and stayed in a DP camp from 1946-51, Wezelar near Frankfort, Germany.
The UNRAA arranged for me to go the United States. They asked if I had any relatives, I said no. I was sent to Denver, Colorado for a few years, from 1951-54. I went to Detroit to visit a friend on my vacation. I saw that there were more opportunities in Detroit with all of the automotive factories. I took drafting classes in the DP camp and later became an automotive designer.
After I arrived in the United States, I remembered that I had cousins in Antwerp, Belgium. I wrote to them and years later visited them in Antwerp. One of my cousins’ sons lives in Detroit, Rabbi Meyer Feibush.
Where were you in the Former Soviet Union?
In 1941, there was a pact between the Polish government in exile in London and Russia. Przemsyl became occupied by Russia. The Russians then took me to work in a coal mine in central Russia.
Occupation after the war
Automotive designer, Paramount Engineering. Took contracts from the car companies. Someone saw the sketches I made in the DP camps. I designed auto bodies, panels, windows, mirrors, bumpers. I was always mechanical; as a child I put together watches by myself.
Spouse
Mary Cushner,
Homemaker
Children
Helen, medical office worker Anne, occupational therapist Oscar, restaurant work Edna, government, social services
Grandchildren
Five: Sarah, Jamie, Erin, Adam, and Seth
What do you think helped you to survive?
Persistence and luck. You had to use to use your brain but I think it was mainly luck. My wish was just to see my family. This kept me going. I wasn’t in concentration camps, in Russia conditions were bad for everyone during the war, everyone had a hard life, but it wasn’t like being in a concentration camp.
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
There’s always hope. No matter where we are, there’s always hope. If you’re on the bottom there’s only one way to go, up. I always had hope, if you’re too high, you can only go down, if you’re too low, you can only go up.
Interviewer:
Charles Silow
Interview date:
04/05/2011
Experiences
Survivor's map
