Next, you will hear from Leon Bass, a liberator who was a Philadelphia native, and Jewish Holocaust survivor Suzanne Gross, who immigrated to Philadelphia after World War II.
About the Interviewees
Leon Bass, son of Henry and Nancy, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 23, 1925. Leon had four brothers and one sister. In September 1943, Leon volunteered for the U.S. Army. Leon served in the 183rd Engineer Combat Battalion; as a black soldier in a segregated unit he was treated like a second-class citizen. In April 1945, Leon’s unit helped with relief efforts at Buchenwald, a concentration camp in Germany. After the war, Leon enrolled at West Chester State Teachers College, where he again faced discrimination. After graduating from West Chester State College, he enrolled at Temple University, where he received a doctorate. Leon became a teacher and a principal. He married Mary Sullivan in 1948, and the couple had two children and three grandchildren. This interview took place on August 12, 1998, in Newtown, Pennsylvania. Leon passed away on March 28, 2015. He was 90 years old.
Suzanne Gross (née Sarah Pertofsky), daughter of Eli and Zlota, was born on January 5, 1931, in Paris, France. She had one older sister, Charlotte. The family lived in an apartment above the beauty parlor Eli and Zlota owned. After the German occupation of France, Suzanne, her mother, and her sister went into hiding. Eli fought in the resistance. During the war Suzanne hid on farms, in a convent, in children’s homes and in private residences. American soldiers liberated her in Paris on August 19, 1944. Three years after liberation, the family immigrated to America, and settled in Philadelphia. Suzanne met and married Milton Gross, and they had three children. At the time of this interview, Suzanne had three grandchildren. This interview was conducted on November 19, 1996, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.