- she was born in Lodz, Poland in 1921 to Wolf and Gita Winer
- her father was a journalist who wrote for Zionist newspapers and was deported to Sachsenhausen and died there
- she was ordered into the Lodz Ghetto along with her mother and brother in 1940
- in 1944, she and her family were deported to Auschwitz, where both her mother and brother were killed
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Preparing to Meet Felice Newman
Hello class, this is Alex and I just wanted to share with you all our status in terms of meeting our Holocaust survivor. I have read some of the blogs posted by those of you that have already met your survivor and I am even more excited to share in that experience after doing so. I recently contacted Felice Newman who requested that we meet after Passover, so we scheduled a meeting at her home on April 8 in the evening. I have not been able to speak to her about her background yet but I did ask her if she would prefer to meet the students first in an informal setting before being interviewed or if she would like to jump right into it and she preferred the latter. However, we did receive a page of information on her in class so I do have a little bit of information to share previous to the interview:
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My pre-interview reflection was a mix of excitement and anxiety. I really was interested in the responses Mrs. Newman would have for our questions. Creating the questions was a little taxing because I was not sure where I should go with the questions. There were so many things that I wanted to know, but I was afraid of getting too personal or talking about something that may cause Mrs. Newman to recall something really painful. So really it seemed that before the interview I was really focused on the possibility of a negative experience that not only would cause the group to feel bad for asking questions, but also create a negative experience for Mrs. Newman by putting a lot of emotional strain on her.
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ReplyDeleteI am very much excited to meet our survivor this week. I am curious to what she will say and how we will react.I'm worried on how to approach personal questions. I know I could never relate to her experience, but obtaining the knowledge of what went on during the Holocaust will be benficial. I can't wait.
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ReplyDeleteNever in my life have I ever experienced something like meeting a Holocaust survivor like FELICE NEWMAN. I live my life thinking how life is tough. Life is simple compared to what Felice experienced. When we got there we (Alex, Rory and Myself) arrived an hour early assuming that there was traffic. It was like all the cars on the freeway were dismissed purposely for us to get there on time. It seemed unreal from the moment we left our houses that the 101 freeway was clear of traffic. We brainstormed ideas and how we could approach possible questions. An hour later we knocked on her door with our nervous hands hoping that this day went well. This day went better than well. We stayed for two and half hours listening to Mrs. Newman’s hopeful, courageous story be told once again. We always hear stories of tragedy through books and newspapers, but rarely in person.
ReplyDeleteWhen she started to speak she said she was born in Lodz, Poland and life was good. She was in school and she had a big family. She said she loved to read as she concluded that with a smile.
The only time she did seem said was when she spoke about the death of her parents. Her father was departed from her mother, brother and herself when he was sent to Austwitz, where he later died in 1940 from the gas chambers. She didn’t know as a little girl that that would be the last time she would see her father, but it was. Her mother was too old to work at 44 years old and was sent to the gas chambers as well. Her brother was sent to another camp leaving her young and alone. She was also sent to Austwitz where she traveled in cattle trucks where cattle were kept. Families consisting of the old to the young were stuffed with no food or water for days. When she would speak about sad moments, she would gaze out the window. I know she felt sad and so did I.
I then asked her, “What kept you mentally and physically together through all this?”
She said, “ HOPE! Knowing that it would eventually end….. She mentioned that it is years later and now as she tells her story it seems like she is telling someone else’s tragedy.
To be continued……….
Here is a little project that we worked on to combine some visual images with the recording of our interview.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP6UAhcJZRo
Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BySt4p3MCtE
Part 3:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-S5jokOyD8
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ReplyDeleteMy overall interaction with Mrs. Newman was the best experience ever. She has not been back to Poland since. But she has passed the story on to her daughter and grandson. She wanted to tell us her story because her memories will be forgotten. Plus, she thought it was her duty and obligation to speak for her family who died. Just hearing that was breathtaking.
ReplyDeleteAfter our interview, we all sat at her dining room table and drank coffee and ate cookies/cakes. We told her about ourselves while we laughed and smiled. We all felt comfortable and welcomed. I will never forget her!!
That's cool that you guys have the audio posted on youtube. I wish we could have done something like that, but they don't allow recording equipment in the Museum of Tolerance. Anyway nice. Darrell
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