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by: Lindsey Welch
Born on/in: March 5th, 1927
in Cieszyn, Silesia, Poland.
Walter on the left, and Edith (younger brother on right).
Walter and his family of 1930's. Him being in the white stockings, second person far left.
Walter himself today.
Grew up with as a son of an attorney in a “not very religious” German speaking Jewish family.
Remembers when as a child he was bullied with a group of friends in elementary having to deal with the treatment of non-jewish children throwing rocks at them.
Recalls german soilders marching through the town streets and found Walter and his family and ultimately evicted him and his family after finding out the Gestapo stayed there as their headquarters. Leaving the family to leave everything they have behind them.
After Hilter took over Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia, and the Pole’s took over Ziffer’s part of Czechoslovakia. Walter’s father wasn’t allowed anymore to work as a attorney.
-14 years old in June 1941 when he learned that he was to be deported the following day.
LIfe was unbearable for Walter with dealing with 12 to 13 hour non-stop work hours and having only 14 ounces of bread a day, dealing with jobs like : like he unloaded all day long one - hundred - pound sacks of cement. At another camp he loaded and unloaded bombs. His last job, at Gross Rosen, was drilling holes in bedrock in subzero weather.
May 8, 1945 As a Soviet tank arrive Walter got a nudge saying "I think it's over". And that was the end of the war.
He has a engineering degree and three additional degrees, including the Ph.D. and became a professor of theology in the USA and France. He along has tweleve grandchildren and has had six and lives in Wearville along his wife Gail.
o What type of cultural contributions do you think the survivors brought to Western North Carolina?
Tolerance because it shows how prejudice
can be , extremely at its worst.
o What were some common ways that one would escape from Nazi controlled Europe?
-Hide-outs , although most people would go ahead and leave already before Nazi broke out.
oWhy would people stay in a country when things seemed to be going so badly?
-People would stay in a country to me , because I mean they can't get out. It's a catch 22 because if they tried to exit the country , they would be put on a list and sent to a concentration.
oWhat would you do if the government was trying to limit your freedoms? At what point do you think you would consider leaving your country?
I would, leave it before it got worse. If the gov't limited my freedoms i would rebel against it.
o Is there an aspect of mountain culture that you think would be compatible with the survivors?
It'd be relatively easier to hide-out from most people.
Maps of areas born/traveled in.
czechoslovakia
Poland
Resources:
-GoogleImages
and most of http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids/oralhistory/SHOAH/ziffer.htm