Steve Oliwek
"Appreciate the contributions that the Jewish people have made to the world."
Name at birth
Shlomo Oliwek
Year of birth
1919
Where did you grow up?
Lodz, Poland
Name of father, occupation
David,
Manufactured materials for women clothes
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Devorah Wajnert,
Actress in Yiddish theatre and Homemaker
Immediate family (names, birth order)
Parents and three sons: Henry, Abram and me
How many in entire extended family?
25
Who survived the Holocaust?
Abram and Shlomo (me)
Henry ran away to Russia when war started, no one wanted to follow him didn’t think it would be so bad. Henry was not heard from again.
Abram was in the Lodz Ghetto, in concentration camps, and hiding in the woods. After the war, he went to Memingen, Bavaria, Germany. I was in the Lodz Ghetto with our parents. Our father was sent to Dachau and survived the war. He died of typhus three days after liberation. Our mother was deported to Auschwitz to her death. I was also deported from the Lodz Ghetto to Auschwitz. I was in twelve different concentration camps and was mechanically skilled.
Name of Ghetto(s)
Name of Concentration / Labor Camp(s)
Occupation after the war
Plumber
Spouse
Anna Shlaim,
Homemaker
Children
Bela, David, and Doris
Grandchildren
Three
What do you think helped you to survive?
Defiance. He wanted to survive and not let evil defeat him. He was going to stand up everyday and take whatever punishment was given out and go on to live one more day.
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
Appreciate the contributions that the Jewish people have made to the world.
Interviewer:
(As told by widow, Anna Oliwek and son, David Oliwek)
Experiences
Survivor's map
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