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John Chilag

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Easily create beautiful interactive video lessons for your students you can integrate right into your LMS. Track students' progress with hassle-free analytics as you flip your classroom!

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Ibi Ginsburg

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Easily create beautiful interactive video lessons for your students you can integrate right into your LMS. Track students' progress with hassle-free analytics as you flip your classroom!

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Arek Hersh

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Easily create beautiful interactive video lessons for your students you can integrate right into your LMS. Track students' progress with hassle-free analytics as you flip your classroom!

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Link to Google Slides.

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Link to Google Slides.

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Link to Google Slides.

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Today, we spent time exploring the stories of people who are real survivors of the Holocaust. While our story Milkweed is fictional, it represents real-life events and stories of life in the ghetto during the Holocaust. Using this Padlet, we are going to connect the stories you read about with our novel. Remember to use the sentence starters and the information from the slides to help you respond to the prompts.

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Link to Google Slides.

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One new thing I learned about John Chillag is...

John Chillag's story connects to the events and characters from Milkweed because...

It is important to read these survivor stories because...

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Link to Google Slides.

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One new thing I learned about Arek Hersh is...

Arek Hersh's story connects to the events and characters from Milkweed because...

It is important to read these survivor stories because...

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One new thing I learned about Ibi Ginsburg is...

Ibi Ginsburg's story connects to the events and characters from Milkweed because...

It is important to read these survivor stories because...

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Link to Google Slides.

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The Holocaust Exhibition and Learning Centre

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Surviving forced labour

John grew up in Hungary. After the Nazi invasion his family was imprisoned in a ghetto before being deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. John survived forced labour in a number of camps before being liberated at Buchenwald in 1945.

Early Life

John was born in Vienna in 1927 to a Hungarian father and an Austrian mother. Due to the turbulent political climate in Austria the family moved to Hungary in 1934. John's family owned a building materials business and his father worked for them as an accountant. John had a happy life in Györ with his large extended family.

1944

In 1944 the Germans invaded Hungary and life changed overnight for John and his family. They had to immediately start wearing a yellow star on their clothing and John was no longer allowed to attend school. Shortly after, the Jewish population of Györ was forced into a ghetto. The ghetto was overcrowded, and 35 members of John's family lived in one house. In the ghetto the Jewish council used John as an interpreter and messenger to the SS as he spoke German.

"We had the extended family. They were all in that one house, which wasn't all that big to start with. And I suppose there must have been about 20 of us moving into what one calls today a 2 or 3 bedroom semi."

The camps

In May 1944 John and his family were placed in overcrowded cattle wagons for a four-day journey to Auschwitz-Birkenau. John, his father and uncle survived the initial selection and were admitted into the camp. John and his father managed to remain together but they were separated from his uncle. They were shaved, given a prisoner uniform, and assigned a number which was to replace their name. John discovered after the war that 58 members of his family were immediately gassed at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

"I am 84007, my father was 84008, my uncle was 84006."

After almost two months in Auschwitz, John and his father were transferred to an armament factory in Bochum to work as forced labourers making ship cannons. John worked on a steel forging press operating at 1000 degrees centigrade with no protective clothing. There was little food and their living quarters were cramped and dirty with poor sanitation. John's father died in Bochum due to the conditions that they endured.

In March 1945, as the Allied forces got nearer to Bochum, John was evacuated with other prisoners to Buchenwald concentration camp, near the town of Weimar in Germany. By the time John was liberated by the American forces on 11th April he was so weak that he was unable to get down from his bunk.

After

John returned to Györ after the war, where he discovered that no one from his family had survived. He started to rebuild his family business until it was nationalised by the ruling Communists in 1949. John then emigrated to Australia where he met his wife Audrey and had three children. He worked as an engineer before moving with his family to England. John spent many years of his retirement telling his story to schoolchildren and adult groups alike.

"We're not in England are we, we're in Yorkshire. Well, no problem, but I don't know the first thing about cricket, but I couldn't play for Yorkshire even if I lived here for... I couldn't play cricket, full stop."

To learn more about John's story visit The Holocaust Exhibition and Learning Centre. For more information click

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John Chillag - The Holocaust Exhibition and Learning Centre

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Surviving forced labour John was born in Vienna in 1927 to a Hungarian father and an Austrian mother. Due to the turbulent political climate in Austria the family moved to Hungary in 1934. John's family owned a building materials business and his father worked for them as an accountant.

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The Holocaust Exhibition and Learning Centre

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Surviving Auschwitz

Ibi was born in Hungary into a strict religious family. She survived Auschwitz-Birkenau and a death march. After the war she met Val, a fellow survivor, and they fell in love.

"Even though we only had one year of the troubles, instead of three or four like in Poland and Czechoslovakia, the end product was devastating. They did everything fast and very efficiently."

Early Life

Ibi grew up in a small town in Hungary. Her family was strictly religious but lived happily alongside people of all different faiths. Ibi was the eldest of four daughters.

1944

On 19 th March 1944 the Germans invaded Hungary and the Jewish population was immediately ordered to wear yellow stars. A few weeks later the Jewish people were rounded up and sent to live in overcrowded ghettos. After two weeks in the ghetto, Ibi's family was ordered to pack for a journey to Germany for work.

Ibi and her family were forced into a cattle wagon with only a bucket for sanitation. The journey took three days. People were terrified - they didn't know where they were going or what would happen next.
"Everybody was full of foreboding, frightened. Where are they taking us? What is going to happen to us?"
After three days in the wagon they arrived at their destination, which was not in Germany but in Poland. They had arrived at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Auschwitz-Birkenau

Ibi and her family were helped from the wagons by men in striped uniforms and had to wait in a queue with hundreds of other people who had been crammed onto the same train. People were frightened and confused - they had no idea where they were and had barely eaten for days.

They were then separated. Ibi's father was taken away first, then her mother and two youngest sisters were led away. Ibi and her 13-year-old sister Judith were sent in a different direction and told that they were going to work, and that they would see their family later. Ibi later learned that her mother and younger sisters had been immediately taken to the gas chambers.

Ibi and Judith had their possessions and clothing taken away, their hair shaved, and they were issued with a camp uniform. They were sent to a wooden barrack that had a concrete floor and wooden bunks. They were given very little food and had to stand for hours every day in all weathers as the thousands of prisoners were counted.

"And I thought to myself "But they can't stop birds flying over" and I was looking for birds, I remember the whole afternoon and there were no birds, birds didn't fly over us. I thought to myself, "This must be Hell."

The End

After three months in Auschwitz, Ibi and Judith were taken to work in a forced labour camp in Germany. By this time they could see British and American planes flying overhead and were aware that the war was going badly for Germany. In the final days of the war they were taken on a death march towards a concentration camp in Germany. Ibi was liberated before they got there, on 1 st May 1945.

"We were constantly hungry, humiliated, we worked, but we knew that the end was coming... We just hung on to life."

A New Life

After liberation Ibi was taken to a hospital to recover. When she was well enough she began working in the hospital administration. There she met Val, who was recuperating after surviving forced labour in several concentration camps. They fell in love and married, but neither of them wished to return to their home countries.

Val's cousin had also survived the Holocaust and was living in West Yorkshire with her husband Joseph, where they were setting up a textile firm. She invited Val and Iby to join them. The couple moved to England in 1948 and worked in the textile industry. They had two daughters and remained a devoted couple for over 60 years. Both Val and Ibi devoted their lives to Holocaust education.

Ibi sadly died in February 2010 and is greatly missed.

To learn more about Ibi's story visit our exhibition, 'Through Our Eyes', at The Holocaust Exhibition and Learning Centre.

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Ibi Ginsburg - The Holocaust Exhibition and Learning Centre

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Surviving Auschwitz "Even though we only had one year of the troubles, instead of three or four like in Poland and Czechoslovakia, the end product was devastating. They did everything fast and very efficiently." Ibi grew up in a small town in Hungary. Her family was strictly religious but lived happily alongside people of all different faiths.

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The Holocaust Exhibition and Learning Centre

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Auschwitz survivor

Arek grew up in Poland and was imprisoned in Łódz ghetto and then in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Arek survived a death march before finally being liberated from Theresienstadt in 1945.

"I wake up every day and I say "well here I am again", because I remember the other side of the coin. Every day to me is another day - I enjoy life, I make everything possible."

Life in Poland

Arek was born in a tight-knit family, one of five siblings. The family followed the Jewish faith and Arek attended a Jewish school. Arek had a happy childhood going to the park, ice-skating and singing solos in the school choir. Despite his happy childhood he does remember experiencing antisemitism in Poland:

"I was coming out from the school and a few Polish children shouted me "Go back to Palestine". I was born in Poland, a Polish subject, but according to them we weren't Polish."

Łódz Ghetto

On 1 st September 1939 the German army invaded Poland. Arek's family fled their home and went to Łódz to stay with family. The journey to Łódz was 65km and took them three days on foot. Arek remembers seeing German soldiers laughing and joking whilst humiliating Jewish men by cutting off their beards.

The Jewish population in Łódz was forced to wear a Star of David on their outer clothing to identify them. Soon after, they were forced into an overcrowded ghetto with poor sanitation and very little food. Towards the end of 1941 the authorities came to take Arek's father to a work camp. His father escaped, so they tried to take Arek's brother as a replacement. He also escaped, so they took 11-year-old Arek instead. Arek was able to survive the camp at Otoschno in Nazi-occupied Poland because his job was cleaning the commandant's office, so he was indoors and was able to steal food.

In 1942 Arek was sent back to the ghetto. He and his remaining family members were taken to a church in Sieradz with other people from the ghetto. As they were being sorted into groups, Arek managed to escape to a line of people who were being taken back to the ghetto. His family, with the majority of others at the church, were taken to the death camp at Chelmnø where they were murdered.

Arek went to live in the ghetto orphanage and worked in a textile mill for the next two years.

"I didn't know what to do, I was on my own, the older people didn't have time for me you know. So I went out on the street. I sat on the corner and I started crying, I didn't know what to do."

Auschwitz

In 1944 the Germans decided to close Łódz ghetto as the Russian army was approaching. Those in the ghetto were taken on a two-day journey to Auschwitz-Birkenau, including 15-year-old Arek who was amongst 185 children from the orphanage.

Upon arrival at Auschwitz the prisoners were divided into two lines in a process called 'selection'. Healthy working-age people went in one line, while older people, those who were ill or disabled, children and nursing mothers went into another. Arek could tell that the healthier-looking people were being sent to one side, so he quickly went with them when a disturbance distracted the guards. If Arek had not swapped lines he would have been sent straight to the gas chamber.

Arek was then shaved all over and made to shower before being given a striped uniform and tattooed with the number B7608. After this Arek lost his name and identity. From that moment on he was only referred to by his number.

In Auschwitz Arek had to work as an agricultural labourer for the SS. He had to plough fields and fertilize them using ashes from the crematoria. He remembers feeling pieces of bones in the ashes as he spread it. Arek was later transferred to the fishing commando to catch fish to be sent to Germany.

The Death March

By January 1945 it was clear that Germany was losing the war. As the Russian army advanced, the Germans decided to clear Auschwitz to try to hide evidence of their crimes. The remaining prisoners were taken on a forced march which lasted three days, with no food and only their striped uniforms as protection against the deep snow and icy temperatures. Those who survived the march arrived at a train station from where they were taken to Buchenwald, near the town of Weimar in Germany. Arek was placed in a children's barrack. After a few months in Buchenwald Arek and 3000 others were loaded onto open wagons before setting off on a month-long journey to Theresienstadt in Czechoslovakia. Of the 3000 who had set off, only 600 arrived alive. Arek was liberated from Theresienstadt on 9 th May 1945 by the Russian army. Arek remembers being given rice pudding to eat.

England

Arek was brought to England in a group of 300 children in August 1945. The group included some girls but was generally known as 'The Boys', and they were taken to Windermere in the Lake District to recuperate and learn English. Arek then moved to Liverpool with some of the boys to learn a trade.

Arek discovered that only 40 people from his hometown had survived the war. Most of the population had been killed at the death camp Chełmno, including most of his family. Arek was reunited with his elder sister Mania two years after the war had ended.

Arek didn't speak about his experiences until 1995 when he wrote his book, 'A Detail of History'. Today Arek speaks to people of all ages about his experiences during the Holocaust. He does this in the hope that he can help young people build a better world by educating them about where intolerance and prejudice can lead.

To learn more about Arek's story visit our exhibition, 'Through Our Eyes', at The Holocaust Exhibition and Learning Centre.

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Arek Hersh - The Holocaust Exhibition and Learning Centre

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Auschwitz survivor " I wake up every day and I say "well here I am again", because I remember the other side of the coin. Every day to me is another day - I enjoy life, I make everything possible." Arek was born in a tight-knit family, one of five siblings.

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One new thing I learned about Ibi Ginsburg is her family die and had live after the war Ibi Ginsburgs story connects to the events and characters from milkweed because Jake cause he lost his family and lived after the war but he was in the camp longer. It is important to read these survivor stories because we can learn from the past and learn to prevent these things.

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One new thing I learned about Ibi Ginsburg is that the 2 kids suffered so much that they did not want to go back to their country ever again as adults. Ibi Ginsburg's story connects to the events and characters from Milkweed because the characters all suffered the same in the holocaust and they also all lost there family in the holocaust to. It is important to read these survivor stories because they show other people how people suffered and they can get educated by knowing what could happen in a world war III and how to prevent it and also you can empathize with the people the suffered and died in the book and in real life.

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One new thing I learned about Ibi Ginsburg is while at the concentration camp she kept thinking how it must be hell because of how little life there was.

Ibi Ginsburg's story connects to the events and characters from Milkweed because just like in the Milkweed, Ibi Ginsburg had to deal with life being tough. Like the gathering of Jews in ghettos and being brought to concentration camps to live horribly and work till you die.

It is important to read these survivor stories because if we are aware of the privilege of being in a stable environment then we can help try to prevent more of these tragedies in the future and keep things peaceful.

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One new thing I learned about John Chillag is that he is a Hungarian Holocaust survivor.

John Chillag's story connects to the events and characters from Milkweed because both John and Jack were left with nobody after the Holocaust.

It is important to read these survivor stories because it gives us a better understanding of the Holocaust and a better point of view about the Holocaust.

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One new thing I learned about Ibi Ginsburg is that while at the concentration camps he thought about how bad it must be for the peoples family because their son daughter etc.

Ibi Ginsburg`s story connects to the events and characters from Milkweed because in the novel/book milkweed Ibi Ginsburg had to go through a living hell working through hours and hours days weeks months and even years until they drop/die

It is important to remember to read these survivors stories because we are in a timeline were labor isn't that popular these days and should be grateful for the survivors and your life because the people that survived are in pain and shell shocked/ traumatized and maybe if humans work together we can prevent things like this happening in the future and make the world a better place for as long as we can.

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One new thing I learned about Ibi Ginsburg is when they were in the ghetto Ibi and her 13 year old sister went to work while Ibi's mom and other sister were sent to the gas chambers.

Ibi Ginsburg's story connects to the events and characters from Milkweed because people were sent to ghettos and some people died on the death marching.

It is important to read these survivor stories because they tell us what has happened in the past to them and what happened to their loved one like their dad, mom, sister, cousins, and more.

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One new thing I learned about Arek Hersh is that he has 5 siblings and his family follows a Jewish faith.

Arek Hersh ´ s story connects to the events and characters from the milkweed because all Jews were taken to the ghettos.

It is important to read these survivor stories because people need to learn about how Jews were treated, how many people died because of hitler and the Natiz.

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One new thing I learned about Arek Hersh is he is a Holocaust survivor, He and his eldest brother survived while his other family died in gas chambers.

Arek Hersh's story connects to the event and character from Milkweed because Arek remembers that he saw German solders laughing and humiliating Jewish men by cutting off their beards, In Milkweed Misha also saw German Solders laughing at a man scrubbing his beard on the sidewalk.

It is important to read these survivor stories because we can learn how to prevent another genocide from happening and we can learn on how wwll was a very tragic event.

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One new thing I learned about John Chillag is that he is a holocaust survivor and tell storys about the Holocaust.

John Chillag's story connects to the events and characters from Milkweed because Both misha and John parents died in the war.

It's important to read these survivor stories because you can learn interesting facts about the war.

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its important to read these story's so we don't have to start it all over again and since we know that people can make fun of us but we can just get up agian

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It is important to read these survivor stories because you may learn something new if you read one of these survivor stories. And the survivor stories may teach you alot about the past.

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one new thing i learned about

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One new thing I learned about Ibi Ginsburg is that when ibi's mother and younger sisters had arrived at the Auschwitz camp they were imm;ediately killed because they were not good enough to work.

Ibi Ginsburg´s story connects to the events and character from milkweed because they both are historical stories but the only difference from milkweed is that milkweed is both historical-fiction story but on the other hand ibi´s story is just historical because it is not a book with fictional character.

It is important to read these survivor stories because these stories are 3D interactive survivor stories that can educate us by asking people questions of topics that including the survivor's experiences before, after and during the war.