Benjamin Grünfeld

Born May 6, 1928 in Kolozsvár, Hungary (today Sluj, Romania) Died Mars 26, 2021, Stockholm.

My family consisted of my mother Regina, my father József and my three brothers. Armand, my oldest brother, had been drafted to the Hungarian army for labor service and escaped deportation with the rest of us. Herman, my next oldest brother, had passed the test to become a goldsmith. His vocational training was later to save both his life and mine. My younger brother Alexander was thirteen. He was murdered in Auschwitz together with my parents.  

Being in Auschwitz until January 18, 1945, we began to march westward, first to Gleiwitz, then Dora-Mittelbau, on to Bergen-Belsen which was liberated by British army on April 15, 1945. I was severely ill with dysentery. Herman and I were turned over to Swedish Red Cross personnel. For the first time in over a year, I felt somewhat secure. It was the happiest moment of my life. But my grief for my brother Alexander and my parents is still hard to bear. Maybe it would have been easier for me if there at least had been a gravesite to visit.