Joseph Klaiman
"Don’t ever forget our past. "
Date of birth
05/20/1925
Where did you grow up?
Lodz, Poland
Joseph Klaiman was born May 20, 1925 in Łódź, Poland. A month after the Germans invaded Poland, Joseph and his father escaped to Russia but returned to Łódź to bring his mother and two brothers back with them. Before they could escape, they were moved into the Łódź ghetto where both his parents died. In the ghetto, Joseph worked in a factory. In 1941, the Gestapo took away his two brothers and Joseph was transported to Auschwitz. From Auschwitz he was sent to several camps including Gleiwitz I, Buchenwald, Holzen and Blechammer. Just before the war ended, Joseph escaped from a train transport and hid alone in the forest for eight days until he was liberated by British soldiers. Joseph stayed in the Buchenwald DP camp where he met his future wife and moved to Detroit in 1949.
Name of Concentration / Labor Camp(s)
What DP Camp were you after the war?
Bergen-Belsen
Where did you go after being liberated?
DP camp
When did you come to the United States?
November, 1949
Where did you settle?
Detroit, Michigan
When and where were you married?
Married July 4, 1948 in Zalszcham, Germany
Spouse
Zelda
Children
Susan, Michael, Allan
Grandchildren
Nine grandchildren, Five great-grandchildren
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
Don’t ever forget our past.
Interviewer:
Renee Wohl, Voice/Vision of Michigan
Interview date:
05/04/1982
To learn more about this survivor, please visit:
The Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive, University of Michigan
https://holocaust.umd.umich.edu/interview.php?D=klaiman§ion=31
https://holocaust.umd.umich.edu/interview.php?D=klaiman§ion=31
Survivor's map
