Georg Citrom

Born on April 2, 1931 in Oradea, Transylvania (now Romania). Died September 2, 2017.

Antisemitism became overt in 1940 and soon afterwards began the racial laws and the ghettos. My family’s home was in the ghetto so we did not have to move. I celebrated my Bar Mitzvah in the ghetto. Short time afterwards we were taken, together with about 100 people to Auschwitz-Birkenau. I was in Birkenau until October 1944, then in Auschwitz until January 1945. From Auschwitz we were forced to march a few days and were later taken to Buchenwald. I was liberated on April 11 by the American army. I was taken with other children to Bretagne, France. Much later I found out that my mother and big sister survived.  

Great responsibility lays on coming generations to carry on our memory and tell the story. If we had our own country the Holocaust would not have happened. Israel is important to the Jewish people no matter where they are in the Diaspora.