Oral History Interview with Erna Schindler

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Title

Oral History Interview with Erna Schindler

Date

November 12, 2008

Contributor

Interviewee:
Erna Schindler
Interviewer:
Inge Karo

Summary

Erna Schindler, nee Lowenthal, was born in Munich in approximately 1919. Her mother died when Erna was 10 years old, she was raised by her father. He had a business selling farms and farm equipment. Erna describesnever having experienced antisemitism until Hitler came to power. She and other Jewish students then had to leave their private, non-denominational school. Thereafter in Germany, she always lived in fear. For a few years, she worked for a Jewish newspaper, theBayrischeJüdischezeitungand she was told stories about how in 1933 the Germans had come in and damaged all the printing machines.

In 1938, Ernaemigrated to the United states and married a German Jew who had preceded her and became her sponsor. She was befriended by a gentile friend who signed her emigration papers. Erna explains how her father was hidden in Germany for two years by a non-Jewish friend, but then gave himself up for fear of his friend and friend’s family being punished. He was also helped by a non-Jewish, youngfriend during his confinement in Theresienstadt, 1942 – 1945, and after the war until his death. Erna visited this friend in Germany in the 1960s and learned of her father’s experiences.

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Publisher:
Gratz College
Number of Tapes:
1
Language:
English
Identifier:
HOHAGC00461
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Copyright date:
2017
Cite this item
Oral History Interview with Erna Schindler. 2008. InterviewInterview by Inge Karo. Audio. Oral History Interview With Erna Schindler. Holocaust Oral History Archive. Gratz College. https://grayzel.gratz.edu/hoha/oral-history-interview-erna-schindler.

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