Manuel Levi

"What happened to the Jewish people should never happen to any nationality."

Name at birth

Manuel Lewi

Date of birth

11/25/1911

Where were you born?

Lodz, Germany

Where did you grow up?

Lodz, Germany

Name of father, occupation

Unknown, Died as an invalid in WWI, he was shot in the stomach

Maiden name of mother, occupation

Esther Rosenblat, Homemaker

Immediate family (names, birth order)

My mother, brother Ruben and me

Who survived the Holocaust?

Just me

I was married and had a daughter that was 7 or 8 years old, before the war. My wife and daughter were together with me in the Lodz Ghetto until 1944. My first wife’s maiden name was Lupovicz. They were both deported to and killed at Auschwitz in 1944. My brother Ruben fled to Russia and was never heard from.

In Auschwitz, I worked near the crematoria ovens. There, I strangled a Nazi to death to avenge the murder of my daughter. As I was being chased, I was shot in the hand. I ran into a latrine to escape. I put my bleeding hand in the latrine to hide my wound from the Germans as they came in looking for me. They asked me if I saw anyone come in and I said, “I did but that they went out this way.” I was asked, “What are you doing there?” I replied that I was cleaning the latrine. I had been a soldier in the Polish army. I removed the bullet with my teeth and wrapped my hand with a rag. Later, after liberation in Sweden, I had surgery on my hand.

Name of Ghetto(s)

Lodz

Name of Concentration / Labor Camp(s)

Auschwitz Birkenau / Buna / Continental Tire Factory

When did you come to the United States?

April 7, 1952

Occupation after the war

Clothing Designer

When and where were you married?

1946

Spouse

Ruth Holcman, we met in Sweden at a photographic studio. We started talking at a gathering of young Jewish survivors, a Mosaisca versammling. There were Jewish get-togethers, dances and parties where survivors could meet one another.

Children

Dr. Bernard Levi, cardiologist, Kansas City, KS Betty Baker, pharmacist, Providence Hospital

Grandchildren

Four, three girls and one boy: Noah, Sarah, Emily, and Molly

What do you think helped you to survive?

The revenge for my child and the will to survive.

What message would you like to leave for future generations?

What happened to the Jewish people should never happen to any nationality.