Interview material for Jack Meister
Object numberM2025/015
TitleInterview material for Jack Meister
CreatorRuth Wirth (author)
DescriptionAudio recording with mini-disk cassette, transcript summary and questionnaire for Jack Meister interview.
This interview was part of a research project conducted by Ruth Wirth researching the impact of the Holocaust on orphaned teenage survivors as well as Jewish traditions and practices. During this project, participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire before a reference audio interview was recorded with transcript summary.
Icek Kapelmesiter (Jack Meister) was born in June 1928 in Kielce, Poland. He was 11 years old when war started in Poland. The family were placed in the Kielce Ghetto in around March 1941. Icek was put to work helping on building sites, cementing buildings, cleaning out sewers, cleaning the streets and taking headstones off Jewish graves to pave footpaths and roads.
In August 1942 his family were deported. They perished in Belzec death camp. After the liquidation of the ghetto, Icek with others from the work detail were transported to Radom labour camp. He worked in the factory which produced plastics and ammunition. After a year, he was transported to Auschwitz in an open wagon. He was tattooed with the number B488 on his forearm. He was later transferred to Buna prison camp where he worked in the paddocks spreading ashes over the fields. At the end of 1944 he began a long ‘death march’ to Buchenwald, arriving in January 1945 and was finally liberated on 11 April 1945 by the American army.
After recuperating in Switzerland from TB, he was taught a trade of leather work, eventually migrating to Australia on the Cyrenia, sailing into Melbourne in April 1949. From there he took a train to Sydney where Jewish Welfare had placed him with the Zamel family.
This interview was part of a research project conducted by Ruth Wirth researching the impact of the Holocaust on orphaned teenage survivors as well as Jewish traditions and practices. During this project, participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire before a reference audio interview was recorded with transcript summary.
Icek Kapelmesiter (Jack Meister) was born in June 1928 in Kielce, Poland. He was 11 years old when war started in Poland. The family were placed in the Kielce Ghetto in around March 1941. Icek was put to work helping on building sites, cementing buildings, cleaning out sewers, cleaning the streets and taking headstones off Jewish graves to pave footpaths and roads.
In August 1942 his family were deported. They perished in Belzec death camp. After the liquidation of the ghetto, Icek with others from the work detail were transported to Radom labour camp. He worked in the factory which produced plastics and ammunition. After a year, he was transported to Auschwitz in an open wagon. He was tattooed with the number B488 on his forearm. He was later transferred to Buna prison camp where he worked in the paddocks spreading ashes over the fields. At the end of 1944 he began a long ‘death march’ to Buchenwald, arriving in January 1945 and was finally liberated on 11 April 1945 by the American army.
After recuperating in Switzerland from TB, he was taught a trade of leather work, eventually migrating to Australia on the Cyrenia, sailing into Melbourne in April 1949. From there he took a train to Sydney where Jewish Welfare had placed him with the Zamel family.
Production placeSydney, New South Wales, Australia
Subjectchild survivors, testimonies, Jewish identity, family life, Jewish life, establishing new life
Object nametestimonies
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum collection, donated by Ruth Wirth
In appreciation to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) for supporting this archival project.