Interview with Alice Lok Cahana,

Interview Summary

Alice Lok Cahana tells stories about her time at Auschwitz with her sister Edith Lok Cahana. From her journey to the concentration camp in an overfilled cattle car to the conditions of the barrack where she lived, Lok Cahana describes how she and her sister struggled to survive. She remembers her attempts to find her sister Edith who was housed in a different block for a short period of time and shares some of the rules that she followed in her block at Auschwitz. She explains the cruel treatment she and others in her block faced on a daily basis. Lok Cahana shares about a time when Edith became ill while at Auschwitz. She describes the condition of the infirmary and what she had to do in order to visit her sister. She explains how she and Edith were able to remain together until the Allies were able to liberate them from Auschwitz and how she was able to survive a gas chamber. She tells about how later in life she met two other women who had been in the same chamber with her. She reflects on her thoughts about the mass extermination that was taking place during World War II, as well as genocides taking place in other areas of the world. Lok Cahana speaks about the importance of Holocaust survivors and why they should voice their experiences. She discusses how childhood experiences and her temporary stay at a work camp fueled her desire to become an artist.

Interview Keyword

Auschwitz Concentration camps Emotional and physical abuse Genocide Holocaust biographies Hungary Jewish children Jewish women and children Selection Survivors' voices World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives

Interview LC Subject

World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps World War, 1939-1945.

Interview Rights

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Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.