Betty Migdol (F / Romania, 1927), Holocaust survivor

Betty Migdol (F / Romania, 1927), Holocaust survivor.

• <Auschwitz> <various camps>

USHMM Oral Interview

Betty Migdol, born December 19, 1927, describes her childhood in Ruscova, Romania; her large family’s Hasidic orthodox life; her memories of the Hungarian invasion; her brother’s conscription into forced labor; how her life changed with the 1943 German invasion; her sister’s experiences passing as non-Jewish in Budapest; her deportation to a nearby town where she was put in a ghetto; Jewish relations with Ukrainian neighbors; wearing the Star of David badge; her deportation and life in Auschwitz; her separation from her family; her memories of fasting in Auschwitz during Yom Kippur; her deportation to the Weisswasser labor camp in Czechoslovakia in October 1944; conditions in the work camp run by the Wermacht; liberation by Russian forces on May 9, 1944; her experiences being smuggled into the American zone in Germany; life in displaced persons camp; and her return to Ruscova in 1984.

New York State (26 January 2020)

Betty Migdol, Auschwitz Survivor said, "As we mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, I am moved by Governor Cuomo's dedication to showing New York stands in solidarity with our Jewish community. Today I brought a photo of my family in a displaced persons camp in 1947 after we left Auschwitz for the Governor to leave. Thank you again, Governor, for your show of support for the Jewish community."

She attended a ceremony with Gov. Cuomo with other Holocaust survivors, including Samuel Hersly, Lillian Feintuch, Helen Kurtz, Jean Kurtz, Chana Shapiro, Steve Zuckerman, Reiss Lerner, Tatanya Belkovskaya, Emile Wohlberg, and Eva Friedman.