Open Book!
.avif)
Names Not Numbers
Eugene Ginter
Eugene Ginter
Eugene was born in February 1939 in Krakow, Poland. He had an older brother who died of natural causes before the war. During the war, his mother, Ernestyna, was forced to have multiple abortions. His father, Roman, was an electrical contractor and held a master’s electrician license, being the youngest to do so in Poland.
1
In September 1939, the Germans invaded Krakow. By the early 1940s, a German colonel and his mistress came to their apartment and ordered them to leave by the next morning. Eugene's father burned his mother’s furs, and they packed their belongings and moved to the Płaszów ghetto, with Eugene being placed in a baby carriage. They shared a one-room apartment with one or two other families.
2
3
Sukkot is a particularly difficult holiday for Eugene, as it was the last holiday he celebrated with his grandfather. They spent time in the sukkah together, and shortly after, the Germans took his grandfather and killed him. Later, Płaszów ghetto was transformed into a concentration camp, which would be featured in the movie "Schindler's List."
4
At the camp, Eugene’s grandfather was forced to dig his own grave before being shot, and Eugene’s mother had to witness it.
Eugene’s mother worked for Oskar Schindler, while his father served as the private secretary for Amon Göth, the commandant of the camp. His father spoke perfect German, which helped save Eugene on multiple occasions.
5
His father had many chances to escape (he looked Italian and Eugene was a redhead), but mother looked too Jewish and wouldn’t leave without her. When children were rounded up for deportation, his father would warn Eugene to hide. However, as the ghetto was liquidated, it became harder to find hiding places.
6
One day, Eugene and other children were going to be sent to Auschwitz. His father, desperate, asked the commandant for permission to die with his son. They were put on a train bound for Auschwitz, but it took two weeks to reach the camp due to bombing, even though it was only a 55-minute drive. On the way, they were sent to Gross-Rosen, where they were stripped, forced to shower, and made to run naked in the snow.
7
From there, they were transported to Birkenau and brought before Dr. Joseph Mengele, who sent them to the gas chambers.
Roman started to cry when they were walking, but Eugene said not to be sad because they were going to die together. However, as they were being led away, an officer handed Mengele a letter, and after reading it, Mengele ordered them to march back.
8
Eugene’s father later learned that the letter instructed the Nazis not to gas any more people, as the Russians were close.
Eugene and his father were tattooed and sent to the Kinderlager, where his father worked on electrical wires. When Birkenau was being closed, Eugene's father warned him to never fall to the back of the line.
9
His father was sent to Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria, where he was beaten and dragged away by guards, but not before filling Eugene’s pockets with stolen sugar cubes. Eugene, with a friend and some older boys, hid behind a stove in the building for sick prisoners. At just five years old, Eugene was put on guard duty but fell asleep.
10
When he woke up, the Germans had set fire to the barracks. He ran outside, where they were captured and forced to march on a death march toward Auschwitz.
Along the march, Eugene heard shooting from the back of the line. The road was littered with bodies, so Eugene ran to the front of the line. Upon reaching Auschwitz, the Germans abandoned the camp as the Russians were closing in.
11
On January 27, 1945, Eugene was liberated by the First Ukrainian Division of the Soviet Union, just 12 days shy of his 6th birthday. He later met one of the soldiers who liberated him in Washington, D.C.
After liberation, Eugene was sent to a hospital in Krakow and then to a Jewish orphanage. He lived there for six months, joining a gang of kids who broke into cellars to steal food.
12
A woman in Krakow saw Eugene’s red hair and informed his mother, who was able to find him. His mother had been liberated by the Russians at the end of the war, while his father was liberated from Mauthausen by the Americans.
The family was reunited after Eugene’s father, who was in Austria, heard his name on a broadcast of survivors. Eugene and his mother attempted to take a train to Austria but couldn’t get on due to overcrowding.
13
A cabin worker lifted them through a window onto the train. They eventually found a guide in Czechoslovakia who led them through a minefield to American-occupied Austria, where they were reunited with Eugene’s father in Linz.
In 1950, the family immigrated to the United States and settled in the Bronx. Eugene went to college and became a mechanical engineer.
14
After retiring, he taught physics at Pelham High School. Eugene married Rachel, and they have been together for 50 years, with one daughter and two grandchildren.
Eugene didn’t speak about his experiences during the war until his late 40s. His daughter attended Solomon Schechter School, where they were learning about the Holocaust. She mentioned that her father was a survivor, prompting Eugene to finally share his story.
The End
Eugene Ginter interview at Golda Och Academy - 2023-2024
Golda Och Academy
