The Holocaust Museum of Southwest Florida


Survivor Testimonies: The Oral/Visual History Project The Holocaust Museum of Southwest Florida has undertaken the task of making sure the personal testimonies of all of our local survivors, liberators, resisters and witnesses are videotaped. It is essential that we document the history of these lives so that they are not forgotten. Through generous grants from the Community Foundation of Collier County, the Jewish Federation of Collier County and the State of Florida, the Museum has been able to locate and begin recording the stories of more than 50 people living in Southwest Florida who in some way experienced the Holocaust first hand. Personal connection is essential in making history real for young people. Having the opportunity to meet a survivor or liberator is sometimes a once-in-a-lifetime event. The Oral/Visual History Project will allow these important personal stories to make difference in our lives for many years to come. If you or anyone you know is a survivor, liberator, resistor, rescuer or witness to the Holocaust and would like to participate in this project, please contact Hadassah Schulman for more information: (239) 498-5271 or hschulman11@comcast.net.

Survivor Testimony – Fred Flatau
Fred Flatau as a child.	FRED FLATAU and his family were among the fortunate 1,000 refugees that the United States permitted to come to this country in 1944. They were settled in Oswego, NY, with the understanding of returning to their country after the war. By order of President Truman, they were later allowed to remain in the United States. Fred was born into an upper middle-class, Jewish family in Berlin. He has an older and twin brother. His father was a successful attorney who had served as an officer in the German army during WWI. Shortly after Hitler came to power In 1933, they realized what was happening and moved to Paris, but soon returned to Berlin, convinced the “madness” would not last. Kristallnacht reinforced their need to leave again. They made plans to leave for the United States. As soon as Fred’s father was released from Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp they left for Prague. Unfortunately Hitler’s invasion of Czechoslovakia forced them to escape again to Italy this time, where they spent the next five years.

Survivor Testimonies: The Oral/Visual History Project