Aron Gross

"It should never happen again."

Date of birth

10/02/1928

Where were you born?

Lika (pronounced Lau-ke) which was a village five kilometers away from Munkacs or Mukacevo, Hungary.

Where did you grow up?

Lika, Hungary

Name of father, occupation

Benjamin Gross, He did everything, he had a store, a restaurant, a wine garden

Maiden name of mother, occupation

Goldie Berman, Homemaker and helped with the businesses

Immediate family (names, birth order)

My parents, two sisters (Malka born in 1924 and Perel born in 1927, and me. Both sisters were killed in the Holocaust. I also had a baby brother who died in infancy, his name was Fishel. My father’s mother lived with us, her name was Leah.

Who survived the Holocaust?

I am the only one

My father and I were together for the two months that we were in Auschwitz. We were also together for a few months at Mauthausen. The Germans had an Appel or roll call. The SS called for younger men to come out to go for a specific labor. I didn’t want to be separated from my father. My father thinking that it would be a better situation for me said to me to please go out. I later heard from a cousin who was with him at a later camp, that he was most likely beaten to death.

My childhood, was a very good life. Was in good shape, the gentiles never bothered me. Parents good people.

Name of Ghetto(s)

Mukacevo

Name of Concentration / Labor Camp(s)

Auschwitz Birkenau / Gusen II / Mauthausen

When and where were you married?

1956 in Mukacevo

Spouse

Lena Rosenthal

Children

Benjamin, engineer Isaac, pharmacist

Grandchildren

Five

What do you think helped you to survive?

G-d “beschaert,” G-d wanted me to live. In the concentration camp we didn’t think about what would be tomorrow. I became sick, sent to a doctor who said I would not survive. G-d’s will.

What message would you like to leave for future generations?

It should never happen again.