Raymond 1

Rachael Raymond
Mr. Neuburger
English Comp 101-129
20 March 2011
Holocaust Survivor Testimonies

Joseph Morton and Alfred Caro

Morton, Joseph. "Holocaust Survivor Joseph Morton Testimony." Interview by Dan Gelfond.

Mortongrove. USC Shoah Foundation Institute, 4 Aug. 1997. Web. 20 Mar. 2011.

Joseph Morton's testimony described what life was like in a ghetto and concentration camp. The
Nazis' spared no time in rounding up all the Jews. They started putting Jews in a ghetto on a
Wednesday and arrived on a Friday. All they would do is point a finger at you, since they did not
know who was a Jew and who was not. Someone does not have to look a certain way to be a
Jew. As a child, Joseph Morton was put in a ghetto, although he never mentioned its name.
Approximately 250,000 Jews were in a ghetto starting in 1940. Gypsies had their separate ghetto
as well. Once they rounded up the majority of Jews, the ghetto was closed off by wired walls.
Upon arrival, there were three or four dead guys hanging. This set the example of what would
happen to you if you did not listen and showed what the Nazis were capable of. People were
taken frequently from the ghetto to work on the crematories for Auschwitz or tortured. Some
torture involved sticking Jews heads in barrels of crap. Other Jews were assigned as police
officers and were to enforce the laws inside a ghetto. Joseph Morton's dad was a Jewish police
officer. It was interesting that Jews themselves punished each other. I am surprised there were SS
guards in the ghettos instead. They were also fed poorly. Morton said that there was no problem
with getting a Jew to work for the Nazis'. "What kind of rules could they have, everybody was
interested to have a meal in front of them, to have something to eat." In September of 1944,
trucks started blocking off streets and taking away Jews. They were able to take some belongings
with them and were shipped to a different place to "work." Joseph Morton says there were about
fifty or sixty people in each kettle car. Upon arriving, there were told to go left or right. No one
had any idea of what was to come. They did not know what being on the right or left side meant.
Joseph Morton was on the right side and one of the lucky ones. They were told to undress and
put in striped uniforms. At night, the SS guards would go around hitting them to see if they were
hiding gold or diamonds. Joseph and a few family members were checked out to see if they
could work. From there, they were put on another kettle train into Germany to work. They left
Auschwitz after two week. Joseph said he wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. Joseph
Morton spent around four years in a ghetto and two weeks in Auschwitz.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lveJWn4XQNk&p=1DEE787E7468D11C
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Caro, Alfred. "Holocaust Survivor Alfred Caro Testimony." Interview by Robert Cooper.

Anniston. USC Shoah Foundation Institute, 31 July 1997. Web. 20 Mar. 2011.

Alfred Caro's testimony is interesting because he was not in a ghetto. Before the Nazis began
exterminating people, everyone was jealous of the Jews. They thought they had more than them
for some reason. In 1938, Alfred's dad lost his business because no one was coming, so they left
Germany. Around this time, the Nazis' began breaking into houses and stealing items. This was
claimed to be done for political investigation. This is the first time I have heard about the Nazis
breaking into houses. They also were taking people for political investigation. Alfred Caro was
able to hide with friends and aunts for a few days before he had to leave. Unable to stay hidden
any longer, he was transported to Berlin for political investigation. In Berlin, he stayed for two
days until he was transported to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. No investigation ever
took place. Alfred Caro says the "Nazis had so much power and so much madness in them."
Arriving, they had to march to their camp while being kicked and degraded. More and more
people came to work for them. Jews had nothing and were lucky to be alive at this point. They
were only given water, water soup and a piece of bread for the entire day and slept on floors.
Alfred Caro said "they did everything to make life misery." Every Jew thought there time at the
concentration camp was temporary. Alfred Caro only stayed at the concentration camp for six
weeks before being let go. I am also surprised they let some Jews leave instead of being
exterminated.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He5NdpqUT-0&p=1DEE787E7468D11C