# data[].attributes.body
1. Where did your sister's line lead?
2. What was your life like before the war?
3. What kinds of labor were you doing?
4. What kinds of goods did you trade for food?
5. Do you have any extended family members that also survived?
6. How did you recover from your sickness?
7. Did you seek therapy after your experiences?
8. What were the food options in the camp?
9. When did you realize you were finally safe?
10. Did you spend time in a ghetto?

# data[].attributes.body
1.  Did anyone help you escape other than your family
2.  Where are you originally from and have you ever been back since you escaped
3. Did you know anyone else who escaped that you connected with afterwards.
4. what was your first memory of the war
5.  did you grow up in the ghetto, if not what was the change like moving into it
6. were the any other countries you tried to flee to that rejected you before you came to the states
7. did you have to work at all in the ghetto, if not what where your daily events
8. after you escaped how long did it take you to feel safe again
9.  what would you compare how people in the ghetto to
10. how did you escape the death walk

# data[].attributes.body
1. What did your family originally do to try to get away from what was happening in Germany?

2. What inspired you to become a teacher? Do you think schools teach students enough about the holocaust?

3. Did you know any friends that were with you at Auschwitz from before the war? Did they survive?

4. did you have any friends from before the war that became a nazi youth?

5. How did you feel when you were originally separated from your family?

6. Were you put in any other camps or ghettos before getting to Aushwitz?

7.  How were you treated after the holocaust ended?

8. How do you feel about the antisemitism we see today?
9. What scared you most while trying to survive?

10. After being liberated what was the first thing you did?

# data[].attributes.body
1. Where did you grow up?
2. How old were you when the Nazis invaded your town?
3. What was your first reaction to the exclusion of the Jews?
4. Did you make any friends while in the concentration camp?
5. How did you escape the death walk?
6. What was life like in the concentration camp?
7. At what age did they take you to the camp?
8. How did you keep a positive mindset while in the camp?
9. What was the labor like in the camp?
10. What was the feeling like when you were liberated?

# data[].attributes.body
1. What kind of work did you have to do?
2. Did you have any friendships with people you knew who died?
3. Did you live or work in a ghetto?
4. Did your family ever try to escape?
5. What was your life like before the Holocaust?
6. How did you feel about the camps?
7. What do you think about Germans today?
8. How were you feeling you know you survived?
9. What did you do after you survived?
10. What did you do to survive?

# data[].attributes.body
1) what drove you to finally talk about what happened 50 years later?
2) what was it like going back to Auschwitz? Why did you choose to go back?
3) Did you family try to leave Poland at any point?
4) Did you experience antisemitism before the Nazis started to take over?
5) How were you and your sisters caught?
6) How did you and your sisters avoid being captured when the rest of your family was?
7) What kind of work did you do at Auschwitz?
8) How did you cope with your trauma from the concentration camps and losing you family?
9) What was it like growing up? Did you have a lot of non-jewish friends?
10) How long did it take for you to be reunited with your brother and cousin? How did you feel?

# data[].attributes.body
1. After not being able to talk about the Holocaust for 50 years, was there an event that happened that made you want to start talking about it?
2. What motivated you to keep going in the concentration camps with the horrible conditions and losing your family members?
3. Do you have a favorite memory from right after being liberated.
4. After being liberated were you scared to trust people and were you scared to continue practicing your religion?
5. Was it hard to adjust to life in the United States? What was your favorite part about teaching here?
6. What were your emotions when you were reunited with your brother?
7. Were you scared to go back to Auschwitz? What made you decide to go back?
8. Was there a specific event that made you personally realize that things were changing for the worse in Poland?
9. Were you able to keep any of your belongings secretly or were they all taken from you?
10. Did you have a specific job in the concentration camp?

# data[].attributes.body
1) Do you feel that being in Auschwitz made you mature and grow up faster since you had to face such responsibility and difficulty on your own at such a young age?
2) How did you emotionally and mentally persevere?
3) Did you have any non-Jewish friends? If so, what happened to those relationships when Hitler rose to power?
4) Did you live in a ghetto? If so, who other than your family did you live with and what were the living conditions?
5) How did you choose between your sisters and your own life?
6) Did you befriend anyone in Auschwitz?
7) What work were you doing while in Auschwitz?
8) How did you rebuild your life after coming to the US?
9) What was your brother's experience and how did he survive?
10) How do you think experiencing the Holocaust has changed your view on the world?

# data[].attributes.body
1.  Did you experience antisemitism growing up?
2. What was it like returning to the world after the Holocaust?
3. Did you live in a ghetto previous to the concentration camp?
4. Did you see people you already knew in the concentration camp?
5. Did you keep a journal?
6. How long after you were liberated did you move to the United States?
7. Have you been back to Germany?
8. How did you stay hopeful and motivated in the concentration camps?
9. What made you want to share your story and speak about the Holocaust?
10. What was the first thing you did when you were no longer in the concentration camp?

# data[].attributes.body
1 what did you enjoy to do during your free time?

2 What emotions did you have when you were finally liberated?

3 What was the worst thing that you witnessed during your time at Auschwitz?

4 What is one thing you will never forget?

5  How do you feel about Germans, and Germany today?

6 was there any Anti semetism growing up as a child, or only after WW2 broke out?

7 Did you create any relationships during the war?

8 Did your faith strength or weaken as time went on?

9 What made you want to become a teacher?

10 were you removed from your home by the gestapo?

# data[].attributes.body
1. What thoughts raced through your mind while being in Auschwitz?

2. Did you get singled out when you were younger?

3. Where were you on the night of broken glass.

4. How did you deal with all the deaths and knowing what was going on around you?

5. Do you remains friends with anybody or did u reunite with anybody you knew after the holocaust?

6. Did you live in the ghetto when you were younger?

7. Was hunger a big problem growing up?

8. When did you get to the US?

9. What did you do for a living?

10. Have you ever went back to visit Germany?

# data[].attributes.body
1.  At what point did you notice a change in life/how you were treated by others?
2. Were you ashamed of being Jewish because of the society you were apart of?
3. Any personal interactions with an actual Nazi?
4. Did you have hope for survival.
5. If not, whats it like to know death is close?
6. Any memories about or names of the men who liberated you?
7.  Whats the one item you wish the Nazis didn't take?
8. If you were forced to go through it again what would you have changed for a potentially better outcome?
9. Did you think that Nazis would succeed in killing all of the Jews in Europe?
10. Do you forgive?

# data[].attributes.body
1.  Where are you from?

2.  How did you have the courage and bravery escape death?

3. Did you and you're family ever try to leave Europe?

4. What would you do during the days at Auschwitz?

5. How did you're life become different when Nazi's came to power and was it sudden, or did it take time?

6.  Was there ever any retaliation at Auschwitz against the Nazi's?

7. How did you get to America after the holocaust was over.

8. Were you alone after the war was over or did you still stay with family?

9.  Did you ever live in a ghetto before the camp.

10. How scary was Auschwitz for you and was it scary every single day there?

# data[].attributes.body
1. How did it feel knowing that you risked your life by going to your sister in another line?

2. What did you do in Auschwitz during the year and a half you were there? How did you feel?

3. How did you cope with the traumas of the Holocaust after?

4. Did you experience a lot of anti-semitism growing up?

5. When did you realize that everything changed?

6. Did you try escaping the area with your family? Alone?

7. Was, and if so how, hunger a great struggle living in the ghettos/camps?

8. How did you cope during the Holocaust?

9. Why did you decide to speak out about the Holocaust?

10. When your family was taken initially, how did you escape?

# data[].attributes.headline
Bronia Brandman- Questions (Ashlee Vargas) 

# data[].attributes.subject
Bronia Brandman- Questions (Ashlee Vargas) 

# data[].attributes.body
1.  Did you form any friendships/ relationships while in the ghetto and or camp.
2. How did the troops that liberated you treat you?
3. What can you remember about right after you were liberated? Where did you go?
4. What do you first remember about the Germans invading Poland?
5. Did you have to work in the ghettos/ camps? If so what did you work as?
6. What was the typical day like at the concentration camps.
7. Did you ever keep writing or journal during the holocaust.
8. When was the first time you had began to talk about your experience? Who was the first person you told?
9. What was school like after the Germans  had invaded Poland?
10. How soon after the Germans invaded Poland did things begin to change for you and your family.

# data[].attributes.body
1. What was the first thing you noticed about the change in life when Nazis took over power?
2. Did you hear anything about a "Nazi" political party before they came to power?
3. How did your family/friends react to the Nazis coming into power?
4. What were your and other peoples reactions when seeing the American/Russian armies?
5. Were you treated different by friends who weren't Jewish after the Nazis took over?
6. What was your first thought when arriving in Auschwitz?
7. What were your thoughts when you switched lines before going into a gas chamber?
8. What were the living conditions like Auschwitz camps?
9. What was your first ever interaction with a Nazi? How did you feel?
10. How do you think we can limit the chances of another genocide happening?

# data[].attributes.body
1. What was your life like before the holocaust
2. Do you know any other survivors?
3. How did it feel finally being out of Auschwitz?
4. What was the first sign of the holocaust beginning to occur?
5. Are you still traumatized from all you experienced?
6. Why did you decide to speak on the holocaust
7. What was your life like before the holocaust?
8. When did you realize the holocaust was finally ending?
9. Did you immigrate to the US right after you were freed?
10. Have you ever returned to Germany since?

# data[].attributes.body
1) I saw that you graduated university with a bachelor's in psychology. Did your experiences influence your studies and why?
2) Did becoming an elementary school teacher provide a sense of healing for you? Did you enjoy educating young kids about right from wrong?
3) Did you have any friends who supported Hitler's ideas? What were those conversations like?
4) If you're comfortable answering, how did you manage to survive in Auschwitz for a year and a half?
5) At what age were you separated from your family?
6) Did you have any sort of diary or journal while you were in the camp?
7) Did you live in a ghetto? If so, how many people were confined in your home?
8) Did you befriend anyone in Auschwitz and did you guys work together?
9) What made you feel comfortable to finally speak about your experiences after 50 years?
10) How are you doing now? What's it like sharing your story with so many people?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Bronia Brandman, Mendek's younger sister, is his only immediate family member to survive the war. She managed to stay alive in Auschwitz for one-and-a-half years, which was virtually unheard of. Months after the war ended, when Mendek was sure his entire family had been slaughtered, their cousin found Bronia in Slovakia and brought her to Mendek who was living in Germany. Through Bronia, Mendek learned what had happened to the rest of their family. Ultimately, their mother Ida, father Israel, older sister Mila, brother Tulek, and two little sisters, Rutka and Macia, were all murdered in Auschwitz.

Bronia was fifteen in 1946 when she and Mendek immigrated to America. Although she spoke no English and her education had stopped during the war, she finished high school in three years, and then went on to earn a bachelor's degree in psychology and Judaic studies, followed by a master's degree in education. She taught elementary school, and then worked for the board of education until she retired.

After being silent about the Holocaust for fifty years, sharing her story and educating as many people as possible about that terrible time has become Bronia's life mission. Bronia is now a very well-known and highly sought-after speaker on the subject. Since its opening in 1987, Bronia has been an educator at the Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust.

"When I began my research and needed to learn about my father's early life, my aunt Bronia became my guide. As the only two people in their immediate family to survive the war, their histories are uniquely intertwined. Bronia was the only living person who could tell me about the grandparents I'd never known, and the aunts, uncles and cousins I would never meet. Thanks to her, I was able to piece together much more of my father's story than he'd ever shared with me or anyone else. Without Bronia, my family's history would have been erased forever."
- Myra Goodman

Mendek's sister, Bronia Brandman, shares her memories of the traumatic night the Nazis threatened her father in his hardware store in Jaworzno, Poland.

Mendek's sister, Bronia, shares her memory of being captured and then escaping from Nazi guards in Jaworzno, Poland.

Mendek's sister, Bronia, shares her memories of her brother, "the superhero."

▶️ Mendek's dyslexia and relationship with his father
With the perspective of years, Mendek's sister, Bronia, reflects on how Mendek's dyslexia affected his relationship with his father.

Mendek's sister, Bronia, shares the impact of living through the Holocaust.

A Note on Bozenka
Whenever I share my dad's story, people often ask me what happened to Bozenka, the woman who saved Bronia's life many times when she was in Auschwitz and during the Death March. Bozenka was a brave and selfless hero who risked her life repeatedly to save my aunt, and many people are eager to know if she and Bronia ever saw each other again. I'm pleased to tell you that Bronia and Bozenka remained friends. During the many years Russia occupied Slovakia, all mail contact was forbidden, so they did lose track of each other for a long time. But when that censorship was lifted, they were finally able to correspond. Bozenka and her brother came to the United States in the 1970s and settled in Baltimore, where Bozenka worked as a scrub nurse. She told Bronia she'd never married because there were very few Jews in Slovakia, and by the time she came here she thought she was too old. Bozenka and her brother later moved to a retirement village in Florida, and over the years, Bronia and Bozenka were able to visit each other a number of times. Their last visit was in the summer of 2016, just before Bozenka died at 96, and Bronia told me it was particularly sweet. "Bozenka called me Bronitshka, a name of endearment. She always expressed her love for me, and told me that she thought of me as her little girl. Bozenka risked her life to rescue many others, not just me. At a time when most people were inhuman, Bozenka was a saint. A mother couldn't have done more for me than Bozenka."
- Myra Goodman

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Mendek's Sister Bronia - Quest for Eternal Sunshine

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Bronia Brandman, Mendek's younger sister, is his only immediate family member to survive the war. She managed to stay alive in Auschwitz for one-and-a-half years, which was virtually unheard of. Months after the war ended, when Mendek was sure his entire family had been slaughtered, their cousin found Bronia in Slovakia and brought her to Mendek who was living in Germany.

# data[].attributes.body
-How do you feel about Germans and Germany today?
- What message would you would like to leave with the people here?
What would you like people to
remember about you and your experiences?
-How should people respond to genocide and human rights
violations today?
- When did you begin speaking about the Holocaust? Why did you decide to speak?
- Are you able to say what you thought of humanity at the end of the Holocaust?
-Have your views changed in
the years since the Holocaust and, if so, in what ways?
What do you believe we can do to fight indifference, hatred, and antisemitism today?

# data[].attributes.body
- Was hunger extremely prevalent for you and your family while living in the Ghettos?
- How did you go back to normal life after the Holocaust?
- How did you escape the death march line?
- Was your family very religious?
- Were the Nazis extremely present and intimidating in the Ghettos?
- Were any camps different from others?
- Was there ever antisemitism before Hitler came to power?
- What work did you do while in concentration camps?
- Did you come to the USA right after you were liberated?
- How do these experiences affect your everyday life even now?

# data[].attributes.body
1. Did your family try to leave?
2. Why did you decide to speak to about the Holocaust?
3. How do you feel about German people today?
4. Did you form any form of friendships in the camps?
5. Did you live in a ghetto?
6. Did you experience any form of antisemitism growing up?
7. What made you decide to leave your sister at the sick bay?
8. What kind of work did you do in the concentration camps?
9. How did you maintain any hope of survival?
10. How did you evade capture when your parents and brother were taken?

# data[].attributes.body
1. Where were you born?
2. When did you realize that your life has finally changed?
3. What was your family like?
4. What did it feel like escaping death?
5. Did you live in a ghetto before the concentration camp?
6. Were you ever close to death besides the time you were in line to die?
7. What were some things you did  to survive during camp life.
8. What was the final day of liberation like?
9. When were you liberated?
10. Were you still friends with fellow survivors afterwards.

# data[].attributes.body
1.  Do you remember experiencing antisemitism when you were growing up?

2.  How did life change when the Nazis came to power?

3.  What do you remember about the German invasion? (if appropriate).

4.  Did your family try to emigrate in the 1930s? Why didn’t you leave?

5.  Did you live in a ghetto? If so, please talk about your life there.

6. Did you have to work in the ghetto?

7. How did you cope emotionally with your Holocaust experiences? What kept you going day to day in the ghetto, camp, or other place where you lived? How did you maintain hope?

8.  If you lived in a concentration camp, what kind of work did you do? What kind of conditions did you work under? Describe a typical day there.

9.  How did the Holocaust influence your faith? Can you say whether it strengthened or weakened your faith?

10.  Did you have to cope with hunger? If so, please describe how you did so.

# data[].attributes.headline
Ms. Brandman speaking with the President

# data[].attributes.subject
Ms. Brandman speaking with the President