Henry Brysk
"As a survivor, I am dubious that the Holocaust will be fully remembered in the future. Most people have a very superficial knowledge of the actual phases and events that characterized that tragic period of history. Hopefully, survivor testimony, available in books, films and museums will teach people of what actually transpired during the Shoah."
Name at birth
Chaim (Henri) Brysk
Date of birth
04/15/1928
Where did you grow up?
Paris, France
Name of father, occupation
Israel (Srulik) Brysk,
Cap maker
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Sara Messer,
Seamtress
Immediate family (names, birth order)
Parents, myself and my brother Marcel
How many in entire extended family?
21
Who survived the Holocaust?
Two uncles and six cousins
I came to America at the age of 12 in April of 1941. My parents, Srulik and Sarah Brysk, were avid members of the Bund, the Jewish Socialist movement that advocated a secular Yiddish cultural autonomy for Eastern European Jewry. They were originally from Poland but moved to Paris in 1923 because of persecution due to my father’s union activities.
We escaped from Paris just ahead of the Nazi occupation, moving to southern France, which was ruled by the Nazi-sponsored Vichy government. The American Federation of Labor secured American visas for endangered labor leaders in Poland and France to help them to immigrate to the U.S.
Where were you in hiding?
Sothern France
When did you come to the United States?
In April 1941
How is it that you came to Michigan?
I accepted an appointment to the University of Michigan.
Occupation after the war
I was a physicist, in academia, government labs and industry. BS from City College, MS from University of Pennsylvania, and PhD from Duke University in Physics
When and where were you married?
1955 in Brooklyn, NY
Spouse
Miriam Brysk,
Biochemist, professor and a PHD
Children
Judith Brysk, M.D., gynaecologist in Birmingham; Havi Mandell, M.S.W., PhD, psychologist in Las Vegas
Grandchildren
Five: twins Benjamin and Joshua Rocher, Hannah Graff, David and Sarah Mandell
What do you think helped you to survive?
Emergency visa to US provided by Jewish Labor Committee.
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
As a survivor, I am dubious that the Holocaust will be fully remembered in the future. Most people have a very superficial knowledge of the actual phases and events that characterized that tragic period of history.
Hopefully, survivor testimony, available in books, films and museums will teach people of what actually transpired during the Shoah.
Interviewer:
Charles Silow
Interview date:
04/01/2011
Experiences
Survivor's map
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