David Benedikt Testimony
Object numberM2015/028:008
TitleDavid Benedikt Testimony
DescriptionVideo testimony of Holocaust survivor Oscar David Benedikt. David was born in July of 1920 in Brno, Czechoslovakia. He was in his first year of University when the Germans invaded and thus was thrown out of school. Two years later in 1941, his family was deported to the Thereseinstadt Ghetto while it was still in its beginning stages. There was no order and thus conditions were terrible. The family remained together for strength and luckily brought with them a suitcase of food.
In January1942 David and his parents were transported to Latvia with about 1000 other Jews by train. After 5 days with no food or water, the group was put out to the snow and about 80 men were selected to one side, David among them. The remaining people, which included David’s family, were taken away and killed in mobile gas chambers. These vans killed their inhabitants and transported them to waiting mass graves.
After walking for two days, he arrived at Salespils Concentration Camp and remained there for 6 months. Out of the 30,000 inmates, only 46 survived. They were taken in 2 trucks, one of which was taken into the forest and never heard from again. David’s truck was taken to the Riga ghetto. In Riga, community life was strong and there was a strong emphasis on education. David attended courses taught by famous Jewish professors. He tried to account for his lost education at Brno.
When the Russians were close, transports became more frequent. David was eventually taken to the Kaiserwald Concentration Camp. He was rounded up into a barrack with about 200 people where there was a rumor circulating that they would all be gassed somewhere outside Riga. The night was spent knowing they would die soon. Luckily, the next day, David and 10 other men were left behind without any explanation.
Once again the Russians advanced and the camp was evacuated. David was brought to Riga harbor where he saw an argument between the SS and the German Army. The army wanted to use the last ship to transport their injured home but the SS wanted the ship to transport the Jews. The SS won and David along with others was taken to the ship where they slept on top of bombs until reaching their destination of Danzig. From there they were brought to the Stutthof Concentration Camp.
By this time, the war was ending and most of the camp had been emptied. Yet David was registered and stayed for another 5 or 6 months. Soon the Russians were close enough to be heard. The camp was liquidated under Croatian guards. With only 200 inmates left, David marched out of the camp where they continued walking for days. On the 10th day they were surrounded by Russians and the remaining guards ran into the woods. The inmates followed and ran into the countryside. David and about 12 others found a farmhouse where they collapsed and lost consciousness for 2 days. David today talks about the relationship between the body and the spirit when relating to survival. The body finds a way to continue and once the need to fight was over, their bodies collapsed. After the two days, David woke to see the Russians but lost consciousness again. When he woke again he found himself in a medical unit set up by the Russian army led by a Jewish doctor. They lacked medicine but made sure the survivors were fed. Still about one third of the survivors did not make it.
It took David 8 weeks until he could stand again. During this time he met a volunteer nurse in the Russian unit and after knowing each other for 5 weeks, they decided to marry. They could only get a permit to enter Australia and so they arrived in 1946. Today David is a volunteer guide in the Sydney Jewish Museum. He believes the truth needs to be told to younger generations so that they can fight when the survivors are no longer able to do so. David has never been back to Europe and has no intention of going. He physically distanced himself from the destruction and didn’t talk about his experiences until his granddaughter asked him to speak to her University class. He was supposed to speak for an hour but after 2 they asked him to stop because the room was needed. He found he could not stop talking.
In January1942 David and his parents were transported to Latvia with about 1000 other Jews by train. After 5 days with no food or water, the group was put out to the snow and about 80 men were selected to one side, David among them. The remaining people, which included David’s family, were taken away and killed in mobile gas chambers. These vans killed their inhabitants and transported them to waiting mass graves.
After walking for two days, he arrived at Salespils Concentration Camp and remained there for 6 months. Out of the 30,000 inmates, only 46 survived. They were taken in 2 trucks, one of which was taken into the forest and never heard from again. David’s truck was taken to the Riga ghetto. In Riga, community life was strong and there was a strong emphasis on education. David attended courses taught by famous Jewish professors. He tried to account for his lost education at Brno.
When the Russians were close, transports became more frequent. David was eventually taken to the Kaiserwald Concentration Camp. He was rounded up into a barrack with about 200 people where there was a rumor circulating that they would all be gassed somewhere outside Riga. The night was spent knowing they would die soon. Luckily, the next day, David and 10 other men were left behind without any explanation.
Once again the Russians advanced and the camp was evacuated. David was brought to Riga harbor where he saw an argument between the SS and the German Army. The army wanted to use the last ship to transport their injured home but the SS wanted the ship to transport the Jews. The SS won and David along with others was taken to the ship where they slept on top of bombs until reaching their destination of Danzig. From there they were brought to the Stutthof Concentration Camp.
By this time, the war was ending and most of the camp had been emptied. Yet David was registered and stayed for another 5 or 6 months. Soon the Russians were close enough to be heard. The camp was liquidated under Croatian guards. With only 200 inmates left, David marched out of the camp where they continued walking for days. On the 10th day they were surrounded by Russians and the remaining guards ran into the woods. The inmates followed and ran into the countryside. David and about 12 others found a farmhouse where they collapsed and lost consciousness for 2 days. David today talks about the relationship between the body and the spirit when relating to survival. The body finds a way to continue and once the need to fight was over, their bodies collapsed. After the two days, David woke to see the Russians but lost consciousness again. When he woke again he found himself in a medical unit set up by the Russian army led by a Jewish doctor. They lacked medicine but made sure the survivors were fed. Still about one third of the survivors did not make it.
It took David 8 weeks until he could stand again. During this time he met a volunteer nurse in the Russian unit and after knowing each other for 5 weeks, they decided to marry. They could only get a permit to enter Australia and so they arrived in 1946. Today David is a volunteer guide in the Sydney Jewish Museum. He believes the truth needs to be told to younger generations so that they can fight when the survivors are no longer able to do so. David has never been back to Europe and has no intention of going. He physically distanced himself from the destruction and didn’t talk about his experiences until his granddaughter asked him to speak to her University class. He was supposed to speak for an hour but after 2 they asked him to stop because the room was needed. He found he could not stop talking.
Production date 2000 - 2000
Subjectsurvivors
Object nametestimonies
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by David Benedikt