Born: may 8,1924

Death: april 3, 2022

Gerda Weissmann

By: kaitlyn puryear

1st period
Testimony
“Survival is both an exalted privilege and a painful burden. My
experience has taught me that all of us have a reservoir of untapped
strength that comes to the fore at moments of crisis. My mind was so
dull, my nerves so worn from waiting, that only an emotionless vacuum
remained.”

The scene took place the early stages of the Jewish Holocaust.
German Naxi soldiers, had attacked Poland, and constrained Gerda
Weissmann and her Jewish family out onto the roads to meet their
destinies in concentration camps. The girl's father demanded that
she wear her ski boots on that sunny day fair some time recently
warriors sundered this family. After that, Weissman walked
through passing camps and labor camps. At length she found
herself driven on a 350 mile passing walk all through Germany.
Within the conclusion as it were 120 ladies survived, one of them
being Weissman. She was freed and continuously credited her
father's prescience and instruction with her survival. Without
those boots she accepted she would have never survived that walk.
By one means or another he knew, and it arranged her for what was
to come and numerous more. The boots. They speak to your
blessing, which is what keeps you going through the extreme
times.
Life experiences - prior
Gerda was born to a Jewish middle class family in Bielsko, Poland. She began her education in a Polish public
school, but later entered a Catholic girls school. There was her mother, Helena, her father, Julius, and her
older brother, Arthur. Gerda’s father served in the Austrian army during the World War. During this time he
met his wife and the two were married. In the years after the war, Julius worked in the family business,
refurbishing furs for use on military clothing. In 1933, there was a shift in the political climate in Germany
and the rise of a new political party, the Nazis. At the head of this political party was the new chancellor,
Adolph Hitler. Gerda describes hearing on the radio and reading in the newspapers that there were book
burnings in Germany. A short time later, Gerda's family was ordered to move to a small ghetto near the
railroad terminal, which was located in a remote part of town. Gerda and her family were able to take a small
number of items and move into an apartment. A couple of weeks went by before Gerda, her mother, and father
were required to register because all able-bodied citizens in the ghetto had to work. She and her mother
worked in a shop sewing military garments for the German army while her father worked in Sucha, where the
Germans were fortifying the river. Soon after there was news that Gerda and her mother would be moved to
Wadowitz, which meant that Bielitz was Judenrein (clearly of Jews), but Gerda’s father would not travel with
them because he would be scheduled to leave by train to a different location. Gerda and her mother went to the
train station that morning to see her father get loaded onto a train to be taken to his new destination. That
would be the last time Gerda ever saw her father. Gerda and her mother were transferred to their new location
the next day.
Life experiences - during
Gerda's parents were sent to Auschwitz, while she and the others were taken to another place called
Sosnowitz-Dulug. Finally, they were transported to a red brick house that used to be a school, where Gerda and
her friend Isle lived until they were selected for work. They were then taken to Bolkenhain, Gross-Rosen
subcamp. On July 2, 1942, Gerda and her friend Isle boarded a train that took them to their new location, the
Bolkenhain labor camp. Gerda describes the scene of the townspeople walking through the camp as a strange
experience: "People looked at us as if they didn't expect us to be human. The children were invited to their
home. A young blonde stood by an open window watering flowers in a window box as we passed. He stopped what he
was doing and looked at us with wide eyes. It occurred to me that he must never have seen a Jew in his life.
There they faced harsh conditions and had to wear yellow letters that identified them as Jews. Gerda learned
how to weave on a loom and experienced cases where prisoners tried to escape, resulting in immediate
execution. In August 1943, Gerda and the other girls were divided into two groups and taken to Merzdorf.
However, after rejecting the advances of a Nazi guard, he was punished and given hard labor. Although Gerda
considered suicide, she found the strength to continue. Gerda describes the reason why she did not commit
suicide, saying: "I felt a strange feeling in my neck when I looked at the tracks. I suddenly understood why
it was so familiar. I remember my thoughts of death as I stood in my parents' bedroom right after Artur left,
and how my father turned me around, grabbing my neck to look into his eyes and making me promise never to give
up." Gerda's move to Merzdorf .and It is unclear when Gerda left Landeshut when it was officially evacuated in
February 1945. The sick and exhausted prisoners were left in Landeshut while other prisoners were marched in.
This did not last long as they were taken back to Landeshut and the remaining prisoners were executed as the
Nazis thought.After returning to Landeshut, the prisoners were put to work again, but this time they built
trenches. In May 1945, the SS men left the camp, and the next morning it was liberated by the Soviet 21st
Army.
Life experience - after
The moment known as the restoration was the day she met soldier Kurt
Klein. He was born in Waldorf, Germany, but his parents had sent him to
the United States in 1937. They were captured by the Nazis after only
making it as far as France, despite their promise to follow. They both
died at the Auschwitz-Birkenau complex. Gerda and Kurt fell in love as she
recovered. They married in Paris in 1946 and settled in Buffalo, where he
owned a printing company. In 1957, Mrs. Klein authored a memoir entitled
"All but My Life" which detailed her experience during the Holocaust. She
went on to write nine more books, many of which also dealt with the
subject. After her husband Kurt Klein retired, they moved to Phoenix where
they established the Gerda and Kurt Klein Foundation. The foundation
promoted tolerance and Holocaust remembrance through education, as well as
through the Kleins' extensive speaking engagements. After Mr. Klein died
in 2002, Mrs. Klein continued with her busy speaking schedule. She is
survived by her daughter Vivian, another daughter Leslie Simon, a son
James, eight grandchildren, and 18 great-grandchildren. In 2008, she and
her granddaughter Alyssa Cooper founded another nonprofit organization,
Citizenship Counts, to promote civic education. Gerda Weissmann Klein,
whose harrowing story of survival through a series of concentration camps
and a 350-mile death march during the Holocaust became the subject of an
Oscar-winning documentary, and whose advocacy for tolerance and civic
education won her a Presidential Medal of Freedom. She died on April 3,
2022, at the age of 97.
Country of origin
Gerda Weissmann was born in Bielsko Poland. The Nazi power was
rising and they were starting to attack surrounding countries
to create a much larger Germany than what had already existed.
A letter from Gerda’s uncle, who was living in Turkey at the
time arrived and expressed that Poland's last hour had come.
On September 3, 1939, a Sunday morning the German armies
invaded Poland. With the invasion of Poland by both the German
army from the west and the soviet union from the east, it did
not take long for the Polish people to succumb to the
devastation. The Polish citizens were on their own, which
resulted in the local population being happy about the German
invasion and allies to the German political system. The reason
for the local population to shift was that before the war
Bielsko was 80% German. The land of Poland was quickly
changing and fear started to set in for the Jews. At the same
time, in late 1939 and throughout 1940, German police evicted
hundreds of thousands of Polish Jews from their homes and
squeezed them into Ghettos. Some Jewish people decided to
escape to the east of Poland, where the Soviet Union was
located. The Germans had already been known to send Jews to
concentration camps, so Polish Jews decided to try their luck
with the Soviets.
Topics of relevance - Death Marches
During the later stages of World War 2, as the nazis began to lose
control they forced concentration camp prisoners to march long
distances under harsh conditions, along with many other prisoners, she
was subjected to one of these death marches. They were forced to walk
for days even weeks without proper food, water, or rest. Many prisoners
were weak and exhausted, and some even lost their lives along the way.
It was a desperate attempt by the Nazis to evacuate prisoners and cover
up their crimes. Gerda endured unimaginable hardship during the death
march. Witnessing the suffering of those around her. It was a traumatic
and challenging experience but she managed to survive and eventually
share her store as a testament to resilience and hope.
Topic of Relevance - Racial Science
The Nazi regime’s ideology was rooted in a distorted and dangerous
notion of racial superiority. They championed the concept of aryan
supremacy and used racial science to justify their persecution and
annihilation of millions, including gerda. The nazies relied on pseudo
scientific theories to propagate their hateful ideology, attempting to
categorize and dehumanize individuals based on their perceived racial
inferiority. As a result gerda and her family faced extreme hardship,
discrimination and ultimately were subjected to imprisonment in
concentration camps. The false beliefs of racial superiority led to the
systematic dehumanization of millions of lives, inclduding gerda's
loved ones. A somber reminder of the devastating impact that racism and
prejudice thinking can have on individuals and communities.
Topic of relevance - Migration/Escape
Migration played a significant role in Gerda Weissmann's personal
experience. She was forced to leave her home and flee her country due
to the persecution and danger faced by Jewish individuals during the
Holocaust. Gerda and her family were uprooted from their lives in
Poland and forced to embark on a perilous journey in search of safety.
They faced numerous challenges and obstacles along the way, including
dangerous travel conditions, threats of capture, and separation from
loved ones. The migration experience was filled with uncertainty, fear,
and loss, but it also demonstrated Gerda's incredible resilience and
determination to survive. It's a powerful testament to the strength of
the human spirit in the face of adversity.
Topic of reliance - Ghettos
Ghettos were established by the Nazis during the Holocaust as a means to isolate and
control Jewish communities. Gerda Weissmann and her family were forced to live in a
ghetto, where conditions were incredibly challenging. The ghettos were often
overcrowded, with limited access to basic necessities such as food, clean water, and
adequate shelter. Residents were subjected to constant surveillance, restrictions on
movement, and frequent acts of violence. The Nazis aimed to dehumanize and break the
spirit of those living in the ghettos. Ghettos played a significant role in Gerda
Weissmann's experience during the Holocaust, and like many Jewish individuals during
that time, Gerda and her family were forcibly relocated to a ghetto. Gerda and her
family faced extreme hardship, limited access to resources, and constant fear for
their safety within the confines of the ghetto. It was a challenging and dehumanizing
period in Gerda's life, but her story serves as a powerful testament to the resilience
and strength of the human spirit.
Topic of relevance - Concentration camp
The Gross Rosen concentration camp played a significant role in
Gerda Weissmann's experience during the Holocaust. Gerda and her
family were eventually taken to Gross Rosen, where they faced
horrific conditions and constant fear for their lives. The camp was
known for its harsh labor practices, and Gerda was forced to work in
grueling conditions, enduring physical and emotional anguish. The
brutality and cruelty she witnessed and endured at Gross Rosen left
a lasting impact on her life. It's a heartbreaking part of history,
but Gerda's resilience and courage continue to inspire people today.
Work cited
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