Hermina Hirsch
"Keep your head up high; being bitter will make no sense. Hope that it will not repeat again what happened in the past. Do not become too comfortable. I hope that it will never come to something like this and that no one will have to go through this again "
Name at birth
Hermina Haber
Date of birth
02/18/1927
Where were you born?
Where did you grow up?
Kosice, Czechoslovakia
Name of father, occupation
Jindrich,
Talmud Torah Teacher
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Nettie Spitz,
Homemaker
Immediate family (names, birth order)
Parents, five sons and four daughters
How many in entire extended family?
Large extended family
Who survived the Holocaust?
All four girls survived and two brothers
My family was taken in 1944. The family was separated by the Germans. At 17, I ended up in the ghetto with my oldest sister, age 24, but was separated from my parents. I was sent to a factory that made bricks and later to Auschwitz, Riga, and Stutthof. I was with my sister throughout and was liberated in January 1945 in Riga, Latvia by the Russians.
To learn more about this survivor, please visit
To learn more about this survivor, please visit
The Holocaust Memorial Center Oral History Collection
Name of Ghetto(s)
Name of Concentration / Labor Camp(s)
Where did you go after being liberated?
We walked back to our home in Kosice, Czechoslovakia, it took two months
When did you come to the United States?
I joined my two sisters in 1953
When and where were you married?
1949 in Kosice
Spouse
Bernard Hirsch
Children
Henry, Daniel, and Steven
Grandchildren
Twins: Julie and Andrea, Ryan and Stacey Hirsch, and Michelle
What do you think helped you to survive?
You need to be physically strong and luck allowed me to survive. I fought for my life. I did not give up and did everything to survive.
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
Keep your head up high; being bitter will make no sense. Hope that it will not repeat again what happened in the past. Do not become too comfortable. I hope that it will never come to something like this and that no one will have to go through this again
Interviewer:
Charles Silow
Interview date:
04/04/2011
Experiences
Survivor's map
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