Contemporary witness talk with Grete Hamburg

Grete Hamburg, née Jungleib, was born on January 1, 1930, in Hlohovec, Slovakia. Her father, Arnold, was a goldsmith and watchmaker, and her mother, Malvina, worked alongside him in their family business. Grete grew up in a loving Jewish household. Her childhood was happy, and she shared a particularly close bond with her younger brother, Walter, who was two years her junior.

In 2019, Grete welcomed young members of the Kinder vom Bullenhuser Damm association and a team from Zweitzeugen e.V. to her home in Israel. Though she had previously given an interview to Yad Vashem in Hebrew about her deportation to Auschwitz, this visit marked the first time she shared her story in German.

"In Israel, she and her family gave us such a warm welcome. Her daughter Daniela invited us to Shabbat dinner with her and her family. Grete radiates so much joy and strength, despite all the inhumanities that happened to her and her family in Slovakia and Germany. It was so overwhelming to talk to her in Slovak, our mother tongue. I was afraid and respectful to ask her what home means to her. For her, home is Israel, where she founded her family and where they now live. That really touched me."

Stela Vitálošová, participant in the project (17 years old at the time of the interview)

The interview project was funded by the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility, Future (EVZ).

A DVD with the recording of the interview can be ordered free of charge for school lessons at info@kinder-vom-bullenhuser-damm.de