Lotte Weiss Testimony
Object numberM2015/028:003
TitleLotte Weiss Testimony
DescriptionVideo testimony for Holocaust survivor Lotte Weiss. Lotte was born in November 1923 in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. In 1939 Slovakia, where Lotte lived, became an independent state and began to eradicate the Jewish population. The government enforced anti-Jewish laws and by 1940 Jews were being publicly harassed. In 1941 all of the Jews were forced to live in the Jewish quarter of the city and Lotte’s 8 member family squished into a little flat. Rumors began to spread that Jews aged 18-25 would be taken east and soon Lotte with two of her sisters were summoned. They left, never to see the rest of their family again.
The three girls were taken to Auschwitz where they were shaved completely and put to work. The girls had to dig in a field and one day, when attempted to aid her sisters, Lotte was caught and had her number taken down. Three weeks later, she was told she was going to a punishment camp for being disobedient. She hugged her sisters goodbye, thinking she would never see them again.
The next day she was photographed and taken with other girls with similar offenses. Soon a black station wagon appeared and the SS men called the girls to go into the wagon to be brought to the camp. Once 20 were counted, Lotte was pushed aside while the guard said, “You get lost. I haven’t got room for you.” Scared, she ran back to her barracks and was reunited with her sisters. That day, she also found her cousin Shari, yet she brought bad news that her mother and 2 siblings did not survive selection. At that point the girls knew this meant their family had gone to the gas chambers. Her father and brother were taken to the same camp but each had terrible fates. Her father died 4 days later and her other brother spent 6 weeks in the camp until his death.
At the end of July 1942, Lotte developed a bad headache. She intended to go to the hospital after roll call, but the next thing she knew she was screaming and a German voice was yelling, “If you scream, you die.” Lotte learned later that she had been placed on a truck with very sick people to be taken to the gas chambers. A friend of her mother, Mimi Senger who worked as a clerk in the hospital, begged for her life and took her to the hospital. There, a nurse gave Lotte a lumbar puncture, to which she awoke screaming. She had meningitis and slowly recovered, but after 10 days, learned the women were being taken to Birkenau and those in the hospital would be gassed. To avoid this fate, Lotte told the SS guard that she could run, though she could barely stand. Two days later, she was taken to the camp where she was reunited with her sisters.
With nothing left to hold on to, Lotte resigned herself to certain death. Yet, she was saved by a former Kapo. This German prisoner, Ulla found Lotte on the camp street and helped her secure easier work. For three months she worked in Commando “Canada,” where all the belongings brought by the Jews were taken. Lotte sorted through belongings, separating clothes and valuables. In January 1943, she was moved to an indoor job in the administrative offices of Auschwitz. Because she was working with civilians, she was kept clean for the remaining two years there. For Lotte, that job was the difference between life and death.
In January 1945, Auschwitz was evacuated and Lotte was moved to Gross Rose, Flossenburg, Hainichen and Teresienstadt, where she was liberated on May 8th 1945. After liberation, Lotte went to Prague despite knowing that her entire family had died. Once back in Bratislava, she found an aunt and uncle who survived on false non-Jewish papers. Lotte told them her story but they did not believe her. Worse, Lotte had lost her faith in God and man. She sought answers from Rabbis, but was unsatisfied with their answers. Slowly she built up her fate again and life improved when she met her husband who was also a survivor.
Lotte was married in 1947 and the following year left Czechoslovakia to join her brother-in-law in New Zealand. There, she had two sons. Lotte today is grateful for the life she is living and for her sons. Also, she was interviewed on National radio and the tape was brought to schools. For many people, hers was the first Holocaust testimony they had heard. In 1982, Lotte’s husband died after 35 years of marriage. Her sons had moved to Sydney in 1983 and Lotte joined then in 1986. She has been an active guide and member of the Sydney Jewish Museum since its opening.
The three girls were taken to Auschwitz where they were shaved completely and put to work. The girls had to dig in a field and one day, when attempted to aid her sisters, Lotte was caught and had her number taken down. Three weeks later, she was told she was going to a punishment camp for being disobedient. She hugged her sisters goodbye, thinking she would never see them again.
The next day she was photographed and taken with other girls with similar offenses. Soon a black station wagon appeared and the SS men called the girls to go into the wagon to be brought to the camp. Once 20 were counted, Lotte was pushed aside while the guard said, “You get lost. I haven’t got room for you.” Scared, she ran back to her barracks and was reunited with her sisters. That day, she also found her cousin Shari, yet she brought bad news that her mother and 2 siblings did not survive selection. At that point the girls knew this meant their family had gone to the gas chambers. Her father and brother were taken to the same camp but each had terrible fates. Her father died 4 days later and her other brother spent 6 weeks in the camp until his death.
At the end of July 1942, Lotte developed a bad headache. She intended to go to the hospital after roll call, but the next thing she knew she was screaming and a German voice was yelling, “If you scream, you die.” Lotte learned later that she had been placed on a truck with very sick people to be taken to the gas chambers. A friend of her mother, Mimi Senger who worked as a clerk in the hospital, begged for her life and took her to the hospital. There, a nurse gave Lotte a lumbar puncture, to which she awoke screaming. She had meningitis and slowly recovered, but after 10 days, learned the women were being taken to Birkenau and those in the hospital would be gassed. To avoid this fate, Lotte told the SS guard that she could run, though she could barely stand. Two days later, she was taken to the camp where she was reunited with her sisters.
With nothing left to hold on to, Lotte resigned herself to certain death. Yet, she was saved by a former Kapo. This German prisoner, Ulla found Lotte on the camp street and helped her secure easier work. For three months she worked in Commando “Canada,” where all the belongings brought by the Jews were taken. Lotte sorted through belongings, separating clothes and valuables. In January 1943, she was moved to an indoor job in the administrative offices of Auschwitz. Because she was working with civilians, she was kept clean for the remaining two years there. For Lotte, that job was the difference between life and death.
In January 1945, Auschwitz was evacuated and Lotte was moved to Gross Rose, Flossenburg, Hainichen and Teresienstadt, where she was liberated on May 8th 1945. After liberation, Lotte went to Prague despite knowing that her entire family had died. Once back in Bratislava, she found an aunt and uncle who survived on false non-Jewish papers. Lotte told them her story but they did not believe her. Worse, Lotte had lost her faith in God and man. She sought answers from Rabbis, but was unsatisfied with their answers. Slowly she built up her fate again and life improved when she met her husband who was also a survivor.
Lotte was married in 1947 and the following year left Czechoslovakia to join her brother-in-law in New Zealand. There, she had two sons. Lotte today is grateful for the life she is living and for her sons. Also, she was interviewed on National radio and the tape was brought to schools. For many people, hers was the first Holocaust testimony they had heard. In 1982, Lotte’s husband died after 35 years of marriage. Her sons had moved to Sydney in 1983 and Lotte joined then in 1986. She has been an active guide and member of the Sydney Jewish Museum since its opening.
Production date 2000 - 2000
Subjectsurvivors
Object nametestimonies
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Mrs Lotte Weiss