Livia Katan
"I pray to G-d that they should never know about what we went through and that they should always live in peace. They never should forget the Holocaust, the six million people who perished. I was in Auschwitz for three years. The number on my arm was 119887."
Name at birth
Livia (Lilly) Lustig, in Yiddish, Liebe Rochel (Dearest Rachel)
Date of birth
09/02/1923
Where were you born?
Where did you grow up?
Nyirbator, Hungary
Name of father, occupation
Shimon Lustig,
Yarn and millinery store.
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Malka Fried Lustig,
Worked in store, Homemaker.
Immediate family (names, birth order)
Parents and two daughter: sister Hinda Hermine Gruber and me
How many in entire extended family?
In the 80’s. My father had four sisters and seven brothers. My mother had one brother and one sister.
Who survived the Holocaust?
Ten cousins, my sister, and I. I am now the only one alive.
In May 1944, I was in the ghetto in Simapusta. When the Germans came to Nyirbator on the last day of Passover, I remembered that my father had his talis (prayer shawl) in one hand and with his other hand, he squeezed my hand and said, “Don’t worry, G-d will be with us.”
I wanted to die. I tried four times to go to the electrified wire. My sister convinced me not to give up, “We will still find our parents.” My sister called me “shaina kron (beautiful crown).”
I met my husband in Slutsk labor camp. He was from Salonika, Greece and was in Auschwitz for three years.
Name of Ghetto(s)
Name of Concentration / Labor Camp(s)
Spouse
Yeshua Katan.,
Worked as a distributor for Handleman Music in Detroit.
Children
Twins, Albert (Avraham) and Sandor (Shimon).
Grandchildren
Four: one set of twins, Brian and Kevin; Daniel; and Tracy.
What do you think helped you to survive?
I didn’t want to survive, my sister encouraged me. My husband would tell me that he loved me and would sing beautiful Spanish songs.
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
I pray to G-d that they should never know about what we went through and that they should always live in peace. They never should forget the Holocaust, the six million people who perished. I was in Auschwitz for three years. The number on my arm was 119887.
Experiences
Survivor's map
