79357: Words From a Holocaust Survivor

By Broadside Staff Writer Tina Miller
Photo by Broadside Asst. Photography Editor Laura Foltz

Approximately 70 students packed the ground level of the Mason Hall atrium to hear the story of holocaust survivor Manya Friedman last Thursday.

Friedman began her story by first saying that “the holocaust is a cautionary warning to all humanity to what can happen with hate.” She then proceeded to share her life story.

Friedman was born in 1925 in Chmielnik, Poland. In 1938, her family moved to Sosnowiec, a larger city near Germany.

In September 1939, Sosnowiec was occupied by German forces, and Friedman began experiencing the atrocities of being Jewish at that time. She was forbidden from the schools, and she witnessed the burning of synagogues. By 1940, half of the Jewish population had been deported.

“We witnessed many miracles,” Friedman said. “If you got up in the morning, that was a miracle.”

In 1941, Friedman began working in a shop that produced German military uniforms. There, she experienced harsh working conditions and witnessed the malnourishment and fainting of her fellow workers.

It was while at this shop that Manya was finally deported. Her parents met her at the shop to bring her some belongings. “This was the last time I ever saw my parents,” Friedman said. Her parents and two brothers were later deported to Auschwitz.

Friedman was taken to Gogolin, a transit camp, and later to Gleiwitz, a work camp where she underwent the inhumane cruelties and brutalities of concentration camps. “I was called 79357, but they took away more than our names,” Friedman said.

In January of 1945, Friedman was transported to Ravensbruck concentration camp, and finally to the Rechlin camp where she was rescued by the Swedish Red Cross in April of that same year.

Friedman recalled the fear that she and her friends lived with even after their rescue. They still associated showers with gas chambers, as they sometimes were in the camps. “When we went to bathe, none of us wanted to get into the showers,” Friedman said. “A member of the Red Cross turned on the water and got in to show us that it was safe.”

Friedman ended her testimonial by saying that she tells her story in memory of millions, so that their death is not in vain. “We have an obligation to them to fight against genocide. We are trying to convey to you [young people] what happens when hate, prejudice and disregard for human life prevail.”

When asked by a student in the audience what motivated her to survive in the camps, Friedman responded, “My friends. We were young. We wanted to survive. Sometimes kids write me and tell me I’m a big hero. But I am not a hero. Surviving was like having the right number in the lottery.”

Currently, Friedman is a volunteer at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and an active member of the Museum’s Speakers Bureau. She has lived in the U.S. since she emigrated in 1950.

Some additional students who could not find seats below watched from the railing of the second story in the open atrium.

President Merten introduced Manya Friedman, saying, “She is going to force us to look at something very awful… that’s going to relate us to things happening today.”

After President Alan Merten’s introduction, associate history professor, Dr. Marion Deshmukh, provided a brief historical context for Friedman’s testimony.

Friedman’s visit to George Mason University was a part of the Never Forget Series, which host events in remembrance of the holocaust and is sponsored by the Mason University Scholars and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM). Representing Mason University Scholars at Friedman’s testimony was Megan Fowler, a junior majoring in history and theatre, who serves as chairwoman of the service committee, and also interned at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. Fowler intends to host more events in the Never Forget Series, including a panel with WWII veterans. Fore more information about the holocaust events or other events in the Never Forget Series, contact Fowler at mfowler1@gmu.edu.