Propaganda took different forms, including in children’s books, in media messages, on the radio, and in newspapers. Ultimately, propaganda was one tool the Nazis used to facilitate mass murder. In this clip of testimony, Holocaust survivor Esther Clifford describes the Nazi propaganda she encountered as a young girl in Munich, Germany and how it affected her.
About the Interviewee
Esther Clifford (née Ebe), daughter of Abraham and Selda, was born on December 5, 1920, in Munich Germany. She was the youngest of five children. Esther’s parents were originally from Poland, and, along with other Polish Jews living in Germany, the family was arrested and deported to Poland in 1938. After a series of arrests and escapes, Esther obtained a visa to England, where she was hired as a domestic worker in Brighton.
In England, Esther met and married Rudi Kleczewski (later Clifford), a German Jewish refugee. They immigrated to the United States and settled in New York. Their son, Allen, was born in 1957. Esther worked as a librarian in Rockland County, New York. At the time of her interview in 1996, Esther had two grandchildren. This interview was conducted on November 3, 1996, in Cranbury, New Jersey.