ISTE Guest Fanny Starr Speaks about her life as a Holocaust Survivor

I just had the most moving experience listening to the story of a woman who survived the Holocaust. I found Fanny Starr to be a kind woman, repeatedly thanking her audience for listening to her story and asking her thoughtful questions about her life. Her daughter, Helen Starr, arranged for her presence at ISTE in Second Life today. Fanny Starr lived in Lodz, Poland before the war. She is 86 and lives in Denver, Colorado. Her husband was also a Holocaust Survivor and together they lectured nationally and internationally about their experiences for thirty years, until his death. It was their purpose to make sure no one forgets. Fanny lost her mother, father, younger brother, and older sister in concentration camps. My notes are about what she said in response to many questions that were asked of her so they will not be in chronological order. Before the internment of Jews in Poland her father had been a businessman, turning cowhide into soft leather in a big warehouse in the outskirts of Lodz. Fanny was initially in Auschwitz. She was moved to different camps during her imprisonment from 1939-1945. While in the concentration camp Fanny had several jobs. One was to make uniforms for Germans. She was a finisher, sewing on buttons and hooks. She also made straw boots for Germans. When she told about this she said, "God forbid their feet should get wet." Then in a place where clothes were taken from new prisoners at camp, she was made to take them apart, to find valuables (gold coins, diamonds, buttons) to send back to Germany. She did not really know what was going on. The prisoners did not know the passage of time, did not have a newspaper to know what day it was. When they went to concentration camp mom's extended family all went together with them (Fanny sheds tears as she talks about this). The soldiers showed no remorse. Her father offered money to someone he knew when they were being taken. The man said, "No, you are dirty Jews. Go on." She remembers someone was there selecting people to go right or left as they left the train. Her mother, seeing the youngest child being separated from the family, asked to go with him. She did and they were exterminated. Fanny went on as best she could. First she went to a place where there were gas chambers. While there she was selected to go to the gas chamber because she was sick but her youngest sister talked to the doctor to save her and he did. Therefore she came to the United States to help people. Fanny and her fellow prisoners got a piece of bread to eat now and then. She always divided it for two days, not knowing when she would get food again, and kept it under her bed. Sometimes someone stole it. She always looked like a skeleton, always hungry and thirsty. She recalled being forced to remove all her clothes when she arrived and put on striped dress. Her father had divided up his gold coins and they were sewn into his children's clothes. When the Nazis came to take them they destroyed things her father cherished with heavy hammers. Fanny was 14 and trying to run away as this happened. Each individual has a story, a different pain, a different agony. After camp she was like a zombie. The British liberated her. She was scared, afraid to move, felt paralyzed couldn't stand. She couldn't express joy. She and her sister hugged and cried for a long time. They were taken to military barracks where the girls were together. She sat in a corner, like she would have a nervous breakdown. It took her a long time to accept what she had endured for six years. She was afraid of the military men. She suffered a terrible depression when she lived in Israel after the war. There was talk of war all the time. She was wiling to leave her husband with her daughter if he did not go away from there with her. They went to Italy where they lost all their money. They went back to Germany through Austria, sneaking in. to repossess their property. Eventually they came to America. Her only encouragement and hope during the worst times came from talking with girls in the same camp and singing together. As she spoke of this camaraderie, Fanny again shed tears. Fanny's husband did not want to bring children into the world. She cried and begged him. He was scared history would repeat. He wanted to have only one, but they had three. While in the camp Fanny was always dirty. They never washed for weeks. Their bodies were crawling with lice. She had holes in her skin from the lice. The girls did not have a period while they were there. She believes there was medicine put in their food to prevent a period. She had gotten it at 13 and it did not come back until she was 20. None of the girls had periods while at camp. She does not know how she survived. She did not want to live in such agony. She was too poor to keep a kosher home after the war. She remains afraid of anti-semitism. They have long been victimized. She still asks why. Her husband was Zionist and was organizing youth group when they met. He had dated a girlfriend of Fanny's, and fell in love with Fanny.