Hanna Zimmermann was born on November 17, 1924 in Ústí nad Labem as Hanna Hamlišová (Hamlisch). Like many other Jewish girls of her generation, she used the name Jana when dealing with the authorities. Her father, Otto, worked for the Ústí nad Labem Mountana Society, she had a sister, Edita. Politics were never discussed at home; they had Jewish, Czech, and German friends.
Her father, Otto, received a timely warning from his employer, Mr. Petschek, that he should think about emigrating. But he did not believe in the victory of evil. The family stayed.
See what happened next.
After the occupation of the border areas, the family fled to Čáslav, where they had acquaintances, later on they managed to obtain a residence permit in Prague. A few days after moving to Prague, the rest of Czechoslovakia was occupied by Germany. Hanna enrolled in courses at the Jewish community and trained as a hairdresser.
In the fall of 1941, the entire family was deported on the fifth Prague transport, the last one headed to the ghetto in Łódź, then occupied by Germany and renamed Litzmannstadt. Hanna survived selection in the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, survived Bergen-Belsen and the Salzwedel camp, where she was liberated.
After 1948, she worked briefly at the newly established Israeli embassy, but left the position due to blackmail by the State Security. She got married, had a son, but was already divorced. In 1965, she moved to Munich, where she worked as a hairdresser.
The interview was recorded on March 11, 1997 in Munich, West Germany.
What was the most interesting thing for you in Hanna's testimony?