Nov 2018
Everything said in a Russian/Jewish accent*
My name is Annemarie Apfelbaum and I am here to tell you my story, about what I went through. Some people think the Holocaust didn't exist. It's funny. I've been through everything in the Holocaust, I was there.
It was a very cold winter. I was very young. Around 8 years old. I had my mother and my father and my little baby brother. We lived in very Jewish small town in Soviet Russia. In small apartment. It was very frightening, they hit door down and door broke off. My mother screamed as I held my baby brother. The 6 Nazis force us out. I remember one of them beat my father with stick. My father tried to protect us. My mother cried to me and she said Annemarie, save your brother. My mother tried go run away. They shot her in head. i watch all this happen. I threw up everywhere and i looked at my father. I didn't know what was happening, they grabbed my baby brother and I cry. They pulled my arm and left big bruise on left arm. My father grabbed my hand as threw my baby brother on floor and beat him. I screamed. "Why, why you do this." They pushed me and my father outside. I saw him cry for the first time. He tried to comfort me. He said don't worry darling, we will be okay. He wipe my tears, and hold my hand. They took us to, to group of people and eventually I and my father went up to a desk with strange guy. This was outside and cold raining. They took me first. The man smiles at me and tattoo my arm with ink. So painful it was. My number was 571556 my fathers was 571557. They sew jewish star on our coats so they always know. I ask my father many questions. All he said was be proud of who you are. And we will be out alive. The natzis treated us like slaves. If we didn't listen to them they shoot. One day they make a line of Jewish people and make them sing. Sing their anthem and they all be dead in next second. Me and my father were starving, exhausted, and were hurt very badly. The natzis took us and put us on train. They were going to split us up because men women and children all went to different places. My father told them I was a boy and because I had short hair they believed him. They shaved my hair off anyways. Nobody know where train going or why we were there. It took us to a camp of terror. People were beat and slaved. They were stripped. Before they could take off my clothes my father had told me to jump fence and run far in forest. But I didn't want to go without him. I'd rather die than run alone. He told me that he loved me very much. They shot him. I ran for him. They saw me though. They went after me. I didn't stop run. I went under a tunnel that I slipped in. The snow covered the entrance when they got too close. I heard them run away back to camp. I found my way out forest and found a safe place. War was over after the years hiding in safe place. The man who helped me and others named jeron jesustki. I thank him Til this day. I don't want you be sorry for me. I want you to be happy for me. I survive. I believed I would get out from bad people. I do miss my father. He love me and help me accept who I am. I love who I am.
My name is Annemarie Apfelbaum and I am here to tell you my story, about what I went through. Some people think the Holocaust didn't exist. It's funny. I've been through everything in the Holocaust, I was there.
It was a very cold winter. I was very young. Around 8 years old. I had my mother and my father and my little baby brother. We lived in very Jewish small town in Soviet Russia. In small apartment. It was very frightening, they hit door down and door broke off. My mother screamed as I held my baby brother. The 6 Nazis force us out. I remember one of them beat my father with stick. My father tried to protect us. My mother cried to me and she said Annemarie, save your brother. My mother tried go run away. They shot her in head. i watch all this happen. I threw up everywhere and i looked at my father. I didn't know what was happening, they grabbed my baby brother and I cry. They pulled my arm and left big bruise on left arm. My father grabbed my hand as threw my baby brother on floor and beat him. I screamed. "Why, why you do this." They pushed me and my father outside. I saw him cry for the first time. He tried to comfort me. He said don't worry darling, we will be okay. He wipe my tears, and hold my hand. They took us to, to group of people and eventually I and my father went up to a desk with strange guy. This was outside and cold raining. They took me first. The man smiles at me and tattoo my arm with ink. So painful it was. My number was 571556 my fathers was 571557. They sew jewish star on our coats so they always know. I ask my father many questions. All he said was be proud of who you are. And we will be out alive. The natzis treated us like slaves. If we didn't listen to them they shoot. One day they make a line of Jewish people and make them sing. Sing their anthem and they all be dead in next second. Me and my father were starving, exhausted, and were hurt very badly. The natzis took us and put us on train. They were going to split us up because men women and children all went to different places. My father told them I was a boy and because I had short hair they believed him. They shaved my hair off anyways. Nobody know where train going or why we were there. It took us to a camp of terror. People were beat and slaved. They were stripped. Before they could take off my clothes my father had told me to jump fence and run far in forest. But I didn't want to go without him. I'd rather die than run alone. He told me that he loved me very much. They shot him. I ran for him. They saw me though. They went after me. I didn't stop run. I went under a tunnel that I slipped in. The snow covered the entrance when they got too close. I heard them run away back to camp. I found my way out forest and found a safe place. War was over after the years hiding in safe place. The man who helped me and others named jeron jesustki. I thank him Til this day. I don't want you be sorry for me. I want you to be happy for me. I survive. I believed I would get out from bad people. I do miss my father. He love me and help me accept who I am. I love who I am.
