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Pearl Levy oral history transcript, 2006-2006, Date acquired: 12/12/2006

 

Summary

Creator:
Levy, Pearl
Extent:
1.00 folders
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Title of Item], [Date of Item], [Box and Folder number], Pearl Levy Oral history transcript, Special Collections & Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. http://purl.fcla.edu/fsu/WWII_06_0214.

Background

Scope and content:

Pearl Levy's oral history describes her life and significant events during World War II. In the Mosonmagyaróvár ghetto, she speaks about specific events she witnessed while in Hungary and her thoughts during the time. At Auschwitz-Birkenau she elaborates on various situations which includes her many jobs, stealing potatoes to survive, her feelings on the death of her parents and sister, escaping Dr. Mengele's death selection, the German kapos, the sonderkommando, roll call, Russian prisoners, clothing, and many more. While at Nuremburg working at the ammunitions factory making airplane motors, she discusses the Allied bombing raids which killed one of her sisters, her attitude on religion during the war, and the improved conditions. Her liberation is also detailed in her interview where she discusses her emotions seeing American soldiers, opinion on reprisal killings, a visit with an American military chaplain, her thoughts on the lesson of the Holocaust and her message to future generations.

Biographical / historical:

Born in Bocicoul Mare, Romania on February 2, 1926 Pearl Fromowitz grew up in a large family with eight other siblings. Her father owned a tailor shop in Hungary up until the family was deported. While in Romania, she and her siblings faced anti-Semitism throughout their school years and had to move to Hungary to continue their education. In 1943 at the age of 17, Pearl Levy and her family were forced into the Mosonmagyaróvár ghetto where she stayed for six weeks before being deported to Auschwitz-II, also known as Auschwitz-Birkenau. At Auschwitz-Birkenau her parents and one older sister along with the sister's children, were sent to the gas chambers upon arrival. She was there for eight months before she, along with her four other sisters were sent to Nuremburg to work in an ammunitions factory. They were sent to Plauen with the approach of the American forces. She was liberated and smuggled into Germany where she met her husband David Levy who was an American soldier and where her first daughter was born. She immigrated to the United States in 1949 and settled in Lorain, Ohio. She later had a son and another daughter. In the early 1990s, she moved to south Florida. Pearl Levy passed away on February 11, 2013 at the age of 87.

Acquisition information:

Pearl Levy

Donated. Oral History Release Form

Custodial history:

Transferred from the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience to FSU Libraries Special Collections & Archives in July 2022.

Processing information:

Entered: 5/25/17

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open to all researchers.

Terms of access:

All requests for permission to quote, publish, broadcast or otherwise reproduce from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Associate Dean for Special Collections & Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Florida State University Libraries as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Title of Item], [Date of Item], [Box and Folder number], Pearl Levy Oral history transcript, Special Collections & Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. http://purl.fcla.edu/fsu/WWII_06_0214.

Location of this collection:
116 Honors Way
Tallahassee
FL
32306-2047
USA