Sophie Fischel
"No matter where you go, there are Jews everywhere, we must look out for one another. Never forget the Holocaust."
Name at birth
Tzirl Sclarsic
Date of birth
04/18/1921
Where did you grow up?
Radomsko, Poland
Name of father, occupation
Wolf Leib Sclarsic
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Yentl
Immediate family (names, birth order)
Gitel, Meyer, Chaya, Avraham, Shmuel, Chaim, Joseph, Rochel, Manya and myself
How many in entire extended family?
Many
Who survived the Holocaust?
Chaim Joseph, Rochel and myself
I was the youngest of nine siblings. I had a very happy childhood. My mother died in 1939 of natural causes. My father was taken away and probably died in a concentration camp. I was first hidden in an attic. In 1942, I was sent to Czestochowa, Poland, a labor camp. I worked in an ammunition factory until 1945.
Name of Concentration / Labor Camp(s)
Where were you in hiding?
In an attic in Poland
Where did you go after being liberated?
Weiden, Germany
When did you come to the United States?
1949
Where did you settle?
Detroit, Michigan
Occupation after the war
Homemaker
When and where were you married?
November 5, 1946 in Weiden, Germany
Spouse
Max Fischel,
Plumber
Children
William, attorney Barbara, psychologist
Grandchildren
Five
What do you think helped you to survive?
My brother Chaim Joseph paid an SS guard and saved me from going on a train to a death camp. My older sister, Rose, and I were together in a camp. We never gave up hope.
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
No matter where you go, there are Jews everywhere, we must look out for one another. Never forget the Holocaust.
Interviewer:
Charles Silow
Interview date:
04/04/2011
Experiences
Survivor's map
