{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://fortunoff.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/9k45q4sw6m/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Shifra Z."]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/005/original/Fortunoff-Logo.png?1549333634","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eShifra Z. was born on May 1st of 1927 in Dolhinow/Poland. She was raised in a town of about seven thousand with about half the population being Jewish. Shifra was the only girl of four children – with one older brother, Nachman, and two younger brothers, Shimon and Yakov. \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eWhile her family struggled to make ends meet, she remembers a happy childhood filled with many friends and a love for school. Her father initially owned a local store and then later became an accountant. Her mother played the typical domestic role. The family was an observant but not orthodox. Shifra has treasured memories waking in the mornings to her father ‘s chanting of prayers. He loved to sing, discussed the weekly Torah portions with his children and was an excellent story-teller, who entertained and soothed his children with folktales and  Hasidic stories. Shifra attended a Jewish day school, where she was taught in modern Hebrew. The family was of a Zionist mindset and as a youth Shifra joined activist groups. \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the war began Dolhinow came under Russian occupation. Refugees from western Poland began to trickle into town. They brought horror stories from the German side that were often discounted as embellished and exaggerated. Shifra’s parents tried to keep their children shielded from any worries that the occupation and the steady flow of rumors might have caused them. She remembers the Russian army moving into town as well as the termination of Hebrew classes in school and the institution of Yiddish and Russian classes. In 1941 a basic military training was added to her classes as the tensions between the Soviet Union and Germany grew. \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe Russians eventually retreated from Dolhinow. At this point the family thought of escaping to Russia; but by the time a feasible plan could be conceived, German paratroopers were already in the area and soon the town was taken over by the Germans. With the Germans came many changes: School ended altogether, a ghetto and a Judenrat were formed, radios were confiscated and Jews were recruited for work. But most significantly for Shrifa, a POW camp for captured Soviet soldiers was created. Shifra and her father were forced to go and prepare food for the prisoners. Thirst and starvation were systematically induced among the POWs and those who could not continue on the march toward the west were shot on the spot. The Jews had to bury these bodies. While working for the German army, Shifra was repeatedly shoved and beaten. She worked in the kitchen, cleaned flours or shoveled snow.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eDaily life was increasingly permeated with brutality. Her mother was beaten up in the street when recognized as Jewish. Her older brother Nachman was almost beaten to death by the Polish police who worked closely with the German authorities. Jews were shot at random in the streets or simply never returned from work. Acts of resistance were avoided because of the fear to put the lives of other Jews in danger, who would be killed by the Germans in acts of reprisal. Shifra describes an atmosphere of constant fear for the lives of her family members. \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn the spring of 1942 the first of three waves of extermination thundered through Dolhinow. Shifra’s family was lucky enough to escape and secure the help of several Polish gentiles who hid them in their barns, fed them and kept them informed about the movement of the Germans. Eventually they were a group of ten relatives hiding out on the upper flour of a barn. But villagers became suspicious of the amount of food the owner of the barn was cooking. When the Germans were investigating in the area, Shifra’s relatives realized that if they stayed they would probably be caught and that the lives of their rescuers were also in danger. In the middle of the day they fled into the forest. They soon met up with other Jews. In the fall the forest was surrounded and shelled by Germans. By then the Jews hiding out in the forest had established contact with Partisans who took care of the wounded and were willing to guide the rest eastward toward the front, with the hope that the crossing into Soviet territory would be possible. At first Shifra’s relatives stayed behind because they wanted to wait for Nachman who had vanished in the confusion of the German attack. They never saw him again. Later they caught up with the treck that was moving toward the front.  Sleeping amongst roots and the howling of wolves they crept along. After months of walking and stumbling they reached the front lines where bullets and body parts were flying, Shifra somehow crawled across and to freedom. \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn Russia, the remaining family was taken to a small town where Shifra was able to continue schooling and even teach some classes. But with the end of the war a political agreement sent Shifra – and all the other Polish citizen refugees - back to Poland in 1946. From Poland, Shifra travel to Czechoslovakia and then to Austria and to Germany living in Displaced Persons’ Camps. Shifra went to school where she could, and ended up getting married in Austria to another survivor. Finally, in 1948 Shifra made her way to Boston and then to New York. She graduated from the Hebrew Teachers’ College in Boston. She has one son who went into business with her husband. \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e(Gabrielle Emanuel)\u003c/p\u003e (Abstract)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Source Metadata URI"]},"value":{"en":["https://archiv.zwangsarbeit-archiv.de/en/interviews/za589"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["2005-11-06 (Creation)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Agent"]},"value":{"en":["Z., Shifra, 1927-05-01 (Interviewee)","Laub, Dori,  1937-06-08 - 2018-06-23 (Interviewer)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Format"]},"value":{"en":["3 videotapes"]}},{"label":{"en":["Source"]},"value":{"en":["https://archiv.zwangsarbeit-archiv.de/en/interviews/za589"]}},{"label":{"en":["Subject"]},"value":{"en":["video tapes (topical)","Forced labor (topical)","women (topical)","Oral histories (document) (genre_form)","Hofgeismar DP Camp (Person or Corporate Body)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Coverage"]},"value":{"en":["New Haven, Conn. (Place of Recording)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Language"]},"value":{"en":["English (primary)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Relation"]},"value":{"en":["Shifra Z.. Interview za570. Interview Archive „Forced Labor 1939-1945“. Access at https://archiv.zwangsarbeit-archiv.de/en/interviews/za589 (conforms to)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Identifier"]},"value":{"en":["za589 (Source Identifier)"]}}],"summary":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eShifra Z. was born on May 1st of 1927 in Dolhinow/Poland. She was raised in a town of about seven thousand with about half the population being Jewish. Shifra was the only girl of four children \u0026ndash; with one older brother, Nachman, and two younger brothers, Shimon and Yakov.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eWhile her family struggled to make ends meet, she remembers a happy childhood filled with many friends and a love for school. Her father initially owned a local store and then later became an accountant. Her mother played the typical domestic role. The family was an observant but not orthodox. Shifra has treasured memories waking in the mornings to her father \u0026lsquo;s chanting of prayers. He loved to sing, discussed the weekly Torah portions with his children and was an excellent story-teller, who entertained and soothed his children with folktales and \u0026nbsp;Hasidic stories. Shifra attended a Jewish day school, where she was taught in modern Hebrew. The family was of a Zionist mindset and as a youth Shifra joined activist groups.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the war began Dolhinow came under Russian occupation. Refugees from western Poland began to trickle into town. They brought horror stories from the German side that were often discounted as embellished and exaggerated. Shifra\u0026rsquo;s parents tried to keep their children shielded from any worries that the occupation and the steady flow of rumors might have caused them. She remembers the Russian army moving into town as well as the termination of Hebrew classes in school and the institution of Yiddish and Russian classes. In 1941 a basic military training was added to her classes as the tensions between the Soviet Union and Germany grew.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe Russians eventually retreated from Dolhinow. At this point the family thought of escaping to Russia; but by the time a feasible plan could be conceived, German paratroopers were already in the area and soon the town was taken over by the Germans. With the Germans came many changes: School ended altogether, a ghetto and a Judenrat were formed, radios were confiscated and Jews were recruited for work. But most significantly for Shrifa, a POW camp for captured Soviet soldiers was created. Shifra and her father were forced to go and prepare food for the prisoners. Thirst and starvation were systematically induced among the POWs and those who could not continue on the march toward the west were shot on the spot. The Jews had to bury these bodies. While working for the German army, Shifra was repeatedly shoved and beaten. She worked in the kitchen, cleaned flours or shoveled snow.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eDaily life was increasingly permeated with brutality. Her mother was beaten up in the street when recognized as Jewish. Her older brother Nachman was almost beaten to death by the Polish police who worked closely with the German authorities. Jews were shot at random in the streets or simply never returned from work. Acts of resistance were avoided because of the fear to put the lives of other Jews in danger, who would be killed by the Germans in acts of reprisal. Shifra describes an atmosphere of constant fear for the lives of her family members.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn the spring of 1942 the first of three waves of extermination thundered through Dolhinow. Shifra\u0026rsquo;s family was lucky enough to escape and secure the help of several Polish gentiles who hid them in their barns, fed them and kept them informed about the movement of the Germans. Eventually they were a group of ten relatives hiding out on the upper flour of a barn. But villagers became suspicious of the amount of food the owner of the barn was cooking. When the Germans were investigating in the area, Shifra\u0026rsquo;s relatives realized that if they stayed they would probably be caught and that the lives of their rescuers were also in danger. In the middle of the day they fled into the forest. They soon met up with other Jews. In the fall the forest was surrounded and shelled by Germans. By then the Jews hiding out in the forest had established contact with Partisans who took care of the wounded and were willing to guide the rest eastward toward the front, with the hope that the crossing into Soviet territory would be possible. At first Shifra\u0026rsquo;s relatives stayed behind because they wanted to wait for Nachman who had vanished in the confusion of the German attack. They never saw him again. Later they caught up with the treck that was moving toward the front. \u0026nbsp;Sleeping amongst roots and the howling of wolves they crept along. After months of walking and stumbling they reached the front lines where bullets and body parts were flying, Shifra somehow crawled across and to freedom.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn Russia, the remaining family was taken to a small town where Shifra was able to continue schooling and even teach some classes. But with the end of the war a political agreement sent Shifra \u0026ndash; and all the other Polish citizen refugees - back to Poland in 1946. From Poland, Shifra travel to Czechoslovakia and then to Austria and to Germany living in Displaced Persons\u0026rsquo; Camps. Shifra went to school where she could, and ended up getting married in Austria to another survivor. Finally, in 1948 Shifra made her way to Boston and then to New York. She graduated from the Hebrew Teachers\u0026rsquo; College in Boston. She has one son who went into business with her husband.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e(Gabrielle Emanuel)\u003c/p\u003e"]},"provider":[{"id":"https://fortunoff.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://fortunoff.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/005/original/Fortunoff-Logo.png?1549333634","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/208/126/small/ZA589_03_01_sd720p.mp4_1695139092.jpg?1695139093","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://fortunoff.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2227/collection_resources/107231/file/208126","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 3 - ZA589_03_01_sd720p.mp4"]},"duration":3701.64,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/208/126/small/ZA589_03_01_sd720p.mp4_1695139092.jpg?1695139093","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://fortunoff.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2227/collection_resources/107231/file/208126/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://fortunoff.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2227/collection_resources/107231/file/208126/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-fortunoff.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/208/126/original/ZA589_03_01_sd720p.mp4?1695139086","type":"Video","format":"video/mp4","duration":3701.64,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://fortunoff.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2227/collection_resources/107231/file/208126","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[]},{"id":"https://fortunoff.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2227/collection_resources/107231/file/208129","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 2 of 3 - ZA589_03_02_sd720p.mp4"]},"duration":3675.28,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/208/129/small/ZA589_03_02_sd720p.mp4_1695139888.jpg?1695139889","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://fortunoff.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2227/collection_resources/107231/file/208129/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://fortunoff.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2227/collection_resources/107231/file/208129/content/2/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-fortunoff.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/208/129/original/ZA589_03_02_sd720p.mp4?1695139883","type":"Video","format":"video/mp4","duration":3675.28,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://fortunoff.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2227/collection_resources/107231/file/208129","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[]},{"id":"https://fortunoff.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2227/collection_resources/107231/file/208130","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 3 of 3 - ZA589_03_03_sd720p.mp4"]},"duration":3481.4,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/208/130/small/ZA589_03_03_sd720p.mp4_1695142826.jpg?1695142827","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://fortunoff.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2227/collection_resources/107231/file/208130/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://fortunoff.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2227/collection_resources/107231/file/208130/content/3/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-fortunoff.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/208/130/original/ZA589_03_03_sd720p.mp4?1695142820","type":"Video","format":"video/mp4","duration":3481.4,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://fortunoff.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2227/collection_resources/107231/file/208130","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[]}]}