Next, you will watch clips of testimony from Fred Sarne and Liesl Loeb. They share their stories about life before and after the Nazis came to power. Both survivors settled in Philadelphia after World War II.
About the Interviewees
Fred Sarne, son of Joseph and Johanna, was born on May 24, 1906, in Bernburg, Germany. Joseph passed away when Fred was three years old. His mother and her sister, Agnes, raised Fred and his brother, Rudy. In 1941, Fred, Johanna, and Agnes were deported to the Lodz ghetto in Poland. Fred was deported to Gutenbrunn, a forced labor camp in Nazi-occupied Poland, and later, he was deported to the Auschwitz camp complex in Nazi-occupied Poland. In January 1945, Fred was sent on a death march to Gross-Rosen, a concentration camp in Germany. While being transferred to another concentration camp, Fred was liberated in Tutzing, Germany by the U.S. Third Army. Fred’s mother and aunt were killed at Auschwitz-Birkenau. In 1947, he met and married Margot Hoffman; they had two children and two grandchildren. The Sarne family immigrated to the United States in 1950, and they settled in Philadelphia. This interview took place on June 23, 1995, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Liesl Loeb (née Joseph), daughter of Josef and Lilly, was born on June 17, 1928, in Rheydt, Germany. During Kristallnacht (November 9 – 10, 1938), the family’s home was destroyed and Josef was arrested. Liesl was sent to Bonn, Germany, to live with family friends and to attend a Jewish day school. After Josef’s release, the family obtained immigration affidavits from relatives living in the United States. The family left Germany on the MS St. Louis, but when the ship arrived in Cuba, Jewish passengers were not allowed to disembark. The ship was forced to return to Europe, and a deal was made to divide the passengers among four countries: England, Belgium, Holland, and France. Liesl and her parents were sent to England. In September 1940, the family was able to immigrate to the United States. They settled in Philadelphia, where Liesl met and married Hans Loeb. The couple had two children and three grandchildren. Liesl worked as a graphic designer. Hans passed away in 1987. This interview took place on August 20, 1996, in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania.