Manuel Levi
"What happened to the Jewish people should never happen to any nationality."
Name at birth
Manuel Lewi
Date of birth
11/25/1911
Where did you grow up?
Lodz, Germany
Name of father, occupation
Unknown,
Died as an invalid in WWI, he was shot in the stomach
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Esther Rosenblat,
Homemaker
Immediate family (names, birth order)
My mother, brother Ruben and me
Who survived the Holocaust?
Just me
I was married and had a daughter that was 7 or 8 years old, before the war. My wife and daughter were together with me in the Lodz Ghetto until 1944. My first wife’s maiden name was Lupovicz. They were both deported to and killed at Auschwitz in 1944. My brother Ruben fled to Russia and was never heard from.
In Auschwitz, I worked near the crematoria ovens. There, I strangled a Nazi to death to avenge the murder of my daughter. As I was being chased, I was shot in the hand. I ran into a latrine to escape. I put my bleeding hand in the latrine to hide my wound from the Germans as they came in looking for me. They asked me if I saw anyone come in and I said, “I did but that they went out this way.” I was asked, “What are you doing there?” I replied that I was cleaning the latrine. I had been a soldier in the Polish army. I removed the bullet with my teeth and wrapped my hand with a rag. Later, after liberation in Sweden, I had surgery on my hand.
Name of Ghetto(s)
Name of Concentration / Labor Camp(s)
When did you come to the United States?
April 7, 1952
Occupation after the war
Clothing Designer
When and where were you married?
1946
Spouse
Ruth Holcman, we met in Sweden at a photographic studio. We started talking at a gathering of young Jewish survivors, a Mosaisca versammling. There were Jewish get-togethers, dances and parties where survivors could meet one another.
Children
Dr. Bernard Levi, cardiologist, Kansas City, KS Betty Baker, pharmacist, Providence Hospital
Grandchildren
Four, three girls and one boy: Noah, Sarah, Emily, and Molly
What do you think helped you to survive?
The revenge for my child and the will to survive.
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
What happened to the Jewish people should never happen to any nationality.
Interviewer:
Biography by his widow, Ruth Holcman Lehman
Interview date:
04/04/2011
Survivor's map
