Naomi Engel Ebenstein
" I have a strong belief that it could happen once again. Nobody can change my mind. I still believe it. I’m totally convinced that it can happen anywhere, to any group. The legacy that remains is the story of anonymous people who rose to the occasion. Those ordinary people who went above and beyond for people whom they did not even know. I think that is hopeful. I don’t know when I am going to be asked to rise to the occasion. "
Name at birth
Naomi Engel
Date of birth
07/02/1941
Name of father, occupation
Geza (Chaim Gershon) Engel,
Owned pension (or guesthouse) then a store owner after the war
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Lily (Leah) Goldberger
Immediate family (names, birth order)
Father, mother, brother Gyuri and me
How many in entire extended family?
Very large extended family scattered throughout Hungary
Who survived the Holocaust?
My entire immediate family and aunts and uncle
When I was a baby, my father was sent to a forced labor camp. In May 1944, me, my brother and mother were deported from Subotica, Yugoslavia to the ghetto in Bacsalmas. From Bacsalmas, my family was deported to Strasshof. From Strasshof, we were sent to Moosbierbaum (a sub camp of Mauthausen) which was a slave labor camp. When Moosbierbaum was bombed by the Allies, we were transferred back to Strasshof which became a slave labor camp. Eventually, we were liberated from Strasshof by the Soviet army.
Name of Ghetto(s)
Name of Concentration / Labor Camp(s)
Spouse
Sam Ebenstein
Children
Ruti, Donny, Yael, and Avi
Grandchildren
Seven
What do you think helped you to survive?
As a 3 year old, I was left alone all day because my mother had to work in the labor camp, and there was an elderly woman, also a captive, who watched me. I remember that my mother really had faith and total conviction that she would survive. That was her driving force. She was convinced. Not only that, but she said, ‘I want to come back and tell the world. Furthermore, I want the children to survive so they can tell the world what happened here.’ And that kept her going, I believe. It was important to survive spiritually as well as physically. Her belief in.
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
I have a strong belief that it could happen once again. Nobody can change my mind. I still believe it. I’m totally convinced that it can happen anywhere, to any group. The legacy that remains is the story of anonymous people who rose to the occasion. Those ordinary people who went above and beyond for people whom they did not even know. I think that is hopeful. I don’t know when I am going to be asked to rise to the occasion.
Interviewer:
Charles Silow
Interview date:
04/01/2011
To learn more about this survivor, please visit:
The Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive, University of Michigan
https://holocaust.umd.umich.edu/ebenstein/
https://holocaust.umd.umich.edu/ebenstein/
Experiences
Survivor's map
