Diverse Narratives of Holocaust Survival

Testimony Analysis of Holocaust Survivors Elizabeth Feldman –de Jang and Nathan Nothman are both survivors of the Holocaust, but just like every individual survivor, they share different stories. One of the few things that may unite them is the specific fact that they are both Jewish and despite all odds, they managed to survive and share their stories. Elizabeth Feldman- de Jang was born December 19th of 1916 in Amsterdam. Both of her parents were deaf and because of their disability, they were not observant Jews; it was simply too difficult to practice Judaism in a synagogue where there was no sign language. Other than having two deaf parents, Feldman would describe her childhood as normal and full of good times. The community she grew

One of the only common grounds they shared was that they were Jews. Other than that, the two individuals had two completely Holocaust experiences, which I believe is true for every Holocaust victim. No two survivor stories are the same even if they were at the same camp because each victim adapted to the change of environment differently and at different paces. Elizabeth Feldman de-Jang and Nathan Nothman are both excellent storytellers. They connected well with the interviewer and you could see the emotion they carried from their experience on their faces. Nathan Nothman shared his story with much greater ease than Elizabeth Feldman did but as they continued to talk to the interviewer, they both became comfortable, which made it much more

Feldman and her family were given the opportunity to go into hiding because of the community they lived in. The close knit community was sympathetic and wanted to provide protection for the family. For Nothman, it was a different story. Individuals in his community had already vowed their loyalty to the German government and would look for hidden Jews in exchange for payment. The ability to go into hiding did not exist for Nothman and his family so instead they followed orders and went into the ghetto, everyone expect for his brother. His father did not believe that the Nazi’s would harm him or his family because he frequently did projects for them, but his brother was convinced that they would have a better chance of survival if they escaped to Russia; however he was the only one who went. One of the big factors that allowed for Feldman and Nothman to be with their families was their family structures. Feldman’s family was really close and they all looked out for another, and even though she was not the oldest, her older sister made sure that everyone was together when it was time to go into hiding. For Nothman, all of his family still lived under the same roof so when it was time to relocate, they were all still together. The