Survivor Interview

To study more about the Holocaust, I have visited the Museum of Tolerance located in Los Angeles and there was a survivor from the Holocaust, Si Frumkin, giving the guests a speech/testimony about his life as a prisoner at a concentration camp in Europe. Here is the following interview I had done after he had talked to the listeners:

	K. Murata: How did Hitler's skilled, professional propaganda affect innocent, educated citizens? Why did the people start believing Hitler's racial theories/beliefs about the Jewish?
	Si Frumkin: Hitler was the governor, ruler, and was in charge of Germany. Because of that, he simply had the power to dominate and do as he pleased. People had believed in Hitler's racial beliefs because his propaganda was so great and continuously repeated. As a result, his propaganda had brainwashed people drastically with especially his racial speeches.

K. Murata: Personally, did you ever think that Hitler would make Germany a better society?

Si Frumkin: At first, we Jews (and everybody else) thought that the society would be better with Hitler in charge, although there were couple of warning signs, especially when Mein Kampf (My Struggle) was published because that had so much feelings about his strong hatred towards Jews.

	K. Murata: How did the other people around you who were non-Jews react when they saw the true meaning of "Nazi Propaganda?"
	Si Frumkin: Of course, knowing that these noble citizens would be punished if they stood up, they were all afraid to oppose. How badly they did ever want to help us Jews, but all of them stayed silenced. In fact, the world knew about what Hitler was doing to Jews, but they too, were afraid to stand up.

	K. Murata: What types of propaganda was used to help spread the discrimination of the Jewish?
	Si Frumkin: The Nazis and Hitler used such propaganda, such as children's story books, films/movies, posters, racial speeches about Hitler's beliefs and thoughts, and repeated racial theories.

K. Murata: Which concentration camp were you sent to? What were your living conditions and was was the most intimidating experience you had?

Si Frumkin: I was sent to Kaufering 1 Dachau Concentration camp and worked as a prisoner there. Prisoners at Dachau were given issued numbers that was tattooed on your arm as a new name and my "name" ended up to be 8291. That number basically means that 8291 prisoners were processed in the concentration camp before I came. Living conditions, one word could probably explain my living condition: Gruesome. Everything was filthy, it was extremely hard to keep yourself clean and the SS guards would also assign us prisoners with the most tiring, dirtiest jobs. The most intimidating experience I probably dealt with while I was at Dachau was the selection process which was when I first arrived there. The selection process was when families get separated and chosen for work or immediately murdered to the awaiting gas chambers. Throughout the process is the time when families get totally separated and never get to reunite with their mother's, father's, brother's, sister's, etc, faces never again in their lifetime. It was a very devastating, life turning, and stressful process.

K. Murata: How old were you when you were sent to the concentration camp?

Si Frumkin: I was fourteen, like most of my friends.

K. Murata: Do you still feel strongly angry and frustrated at the Nazis and Germans who agreed to Hitler's ideology?

Si Frumkin: (Thinks) Well, I think about my family members being gassed and tortured, so yes, sometimes I do get tense about what happened in the past. Yes indeed, but I do feel that it is no use trying to bring in anger from the past because the people in Germany today has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with Jewish hatred, the concentration camps, the propaganda, or the mass killings.

K. Murata: Out of your own perspective, would you be able to forgive what Hitler and the Nazis had done to you and your family?

Si Frumkin: I had learned to forgive the Nazis and Hitler, but I will never forget what they had done to destruct my family. To tell the truth, it was quite hard to keep down my sadness and anger when I first was liberated from Dachau concentration camp. Even the Holocaust museums I visit portray the remembrance of what had happened, but is not intended to have us forget and forgive. I had forgive, but never forget what had happened.

	K. Murata: Personally, did you ever think that Hitler would make Germany a better society?
	Si Frumkin: At first, we Jews (and everybody else) thought that the society would be better with Hitler in charge, although there were couple of warning signs, especially when Mein Kampf (My Struggle) was published because that had so much feelings about his strong hatred towards Jews.

	K. Murata: How old were you when you were sent to the concentration camp?
	Si Frumkin: I was fourteen, like most of my friends.

	K. Murata: Do you still feel strongly angry and frustrated at the Nazis and Germans who agreed to Hitler's ideology?
	Si Frumkin: (Thinks) Well, I think about my family members being gassed and tortured, so yes, sometimes I do get tense about what happened in the past. Yes indeed, but I do feel that it is no use trying to bring in anger from the past because the people in Germany today has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with Jewish hatred, the concentration camps, the propaganda, or the mass killings.