Samuel Raab
" Never give up, do what you have to do to survive. Do as your told, if you’re in a tight situation with someone bigger than you, take a step back, don’t challenge them, agree with them, and try to survive."
Name at birth
Samuel Raab
Date of birth
06/23/1932
Where did you grow up?
Yaroslav, Poland
Name of father, occupation
Isadore,
Shoe store owner
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Sally Fishman,
Homemaker
Immediate family (names, birth order)
Parents, sister Frieda and me
Who survived the Holocaust?
My parents, my sister and me
My father heard at that time that the Germans, wherever they occupied countries, were taking Jews to labor camps. My family and I fled the Eastern part of Poland occupied by Russia, to Gorodok where my grandparents lived. Later we were told that we could return home, the train however took us further eastward to Siberia. I was 9 years old in 1942; I drove a horse and wagon and helped deliver food rations to different villages.
After the family returned to Poland, we saw there was nothing left for us in Poland. I went to Austria to an ORT school and learned carpentry. My mother had a brother in Detroit who sponsored us. We came to Detroit to US in 1952. I was drafted into the US Army and served from 1953-1955 in Korea. Interestingly, I became a US citizen in Tokyo, Japan.
Name of Concentration / Labor Camp(s)
Occupation after the war
Ford Motor Company, Carpenter, and Soldier
Spouse
June Raab,
Homemaker
Children
Jody Raab Webb, pre-school teacher Sharon Raab Rudnick, social worker, JVS
Grandchildren
Two
What do you think helped you to survive?
The determination to survive. We used to eat whatever we could find that was edible.
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
Never give up, do what you have to do to survive. Do as your told, if you’re in a tight situation with someone bigger than you, take a step back, don’t challenge them, agree with them, and try to survive.
Interviewer:
Charles Silow
Interview date:
05/14/2009
Experiences
Survivor's map
