Livia Bitton-Jackson
Encyclopedia
Livia Bitton-Jackson is an author and Holocaust
survivor. Although she was born as Elli L. Friedmann in Czechoslovakia
, she was 13 years old when she, along with her mother and brother, were taken to Auschwitz
, the largest German concentration camp. She and her brother, Bubi, were liberated in 1945, and came to the U.S. on a refugee boat in 1951. She studied at New York University
, from which she received a Ph.D.
in Hebrew Culture and Jewish History
. She also wrote her 1997 memoir I Have Lived a Thousand Years.
, some fifty miles from the ghetto. Two weeks after her father was taken, Bitton-Jackson, her aunt, mother, and brother were removed from the ghetto and taken, over a journey of four days, to Auschwitz
, the largest concentration camp in Poland
. She and her mother stayed there for ten days. In June 1944, Bitton-Jackson and her mother were transferred, along with 500 other women, to Camp Plaszow, the most notorious forced labor camp in Poland. There, their work consisted of planierung - leveling off a hilltop in preparation for construction. If they did not work, or work properly, or violated any rule, they would be beaten by their Kapo
or his assistants. After two months at Plaszow, they returned to Auschwitz.
In August 1944, Bitton-Jackson and her mother were taken from Auschwitz to a factory in Augsburg
. In Augsburg, she was put to work in an assembly line in the factory, where they produced a "precision instrument that is supposed to control the distance and direction of the bomb ejected by a fighter plane". They stayed until April 1945. After this she and her mother were taken to a subsidiary camp of Dachau, in Germany, where she was reunited with her older brother Bubi, who was staying in the men's camp. Her stay here was shortened due to the Allies advance and the three surviving members of the family were taken by trains further into Germany. On the way the guards deserted and many of the prisoners mistook this to be the liberation. However, the guards returned and fired upon those who had left the train, and ordered the others back onto the carriages. During the rest of the journey, Bitton-Jackson was able to keep her brother with herself and her mother. At one point, she spotted through the cracks in the carriage Red Cross trucks, and the soldiers informed them that the charity would be giving out food. The surviving inmates lined up close to the carriage entrance whereupon they were shot at by the SS. Bubi received a shot to the forehead, but survived. It was only after a week of travelling that the Americans discovered the trains full of dead, injured and starving inmates.
After the liberation, Bitton-Jackson, her mother and brother stayed in Seeshaupt where she helped to nurse her brother and fellow inmates back to health.
, believing that her father would be waiting for them, only to discover that he was dead. Her brother then moved to New York on a visa from a school scholarship. Bitton-Jackson had the opportunity to go with her brother but chose to stay in Czechoslovakia with her mother. The two stayed in Šamorín until 1951, when they finally got visas to go to America.
They traveled to America on a refugee boat, and Ms. Jackson, as she was then an adult, continued her education. She eventually enrolled in New York University
, and got a degree there. Dr. Bitton Jackson has a Ph.D. in Hebrew Culture and Jewish History obtained at New York University. She has been a professor of history at City University of New York
for 37 years, and has won numerous awards, including the 1998 Christopher Award
for her book, I Have Lived a Thousand Years. ?
In 1977, Prof. Bitton moved to Israel, where she has been living ever since. She continued teaching at CUNY for years thereafter, and still makes periodic trips to the U.S. for speaking engagements. In April 2009, Prof. Bitton-Jackson was invited to speak in Omaha, Nebraska, for Holocaust Remembrance Day at the Durham Museum, with videolinks to Pleasanton and at Millard West High School
. She also spoke to members of the Strategic Air Command
at Offutt AFB.
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
survivor. Although she was born as Elli L. Friedmann in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, she was 13 years old when she, along with her mother and brother, were taken to Auschwitz
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
, the largest German concentration camp. She and her brother, Bubi, were liberated in 1945, and came to the U.S. on a refugee boat in 1951. She studied at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, from which she received a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in Hebrew Culture and Jewish History
Jewish history
Jewish history is the history of the Jews, their religion and culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Since Jewish history is over 4000 years long and includes hundreds of different populations, any treatment can only be provided in broad strokes...
. She also wrote her 1997 memoir I Have Lived a Thousand Years.
Holocaust
Bitton-Jackson lived in Somorja, former Czechoslovakia, when the Germans invaded in 1944. The segregation of Jews began at that time, and they were prohibited from entering theaters, restaurants, and grocery stores. Two months into the German occupation, all the Jews in that area were moved to the Dunaszerdahely ghetto, consisting of a synagogue and roughly 20 surrounding houses. Partway through their stay there, all men between the ages of 18 and 45, her father included, were sent to a forced labor camp in KomáromKomárom
Komárom is a city in Hungary on the right bank of the Danube in Komárom-Esztergom county.The city of Komárom was formerly a separate suburban village called...
, some fifty miles from the ghetto. Two weeks after her father was taken, Bitton-Jackson, her aunt, mother, and brother were removed from the ghetto and taken, over a journey of four days, to Auschwitz
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
, the largest concentration camp in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. She and her mother stayed there for ten days. In June 1944, Bitton-Jackson and her mother were transferred, along with 500 other women, to Camp Plaszow, the most notorious forced labor camp in Poland. There, their work consisted of planierung - leveling off a hilltop in preparation for construction. If they did not work, or work properly, or violated any rule, they would be beaten by their Kapo
Kapo (concentration camp)
A kapo was a prisoner who worked inside German Nazi concentration camps during World War II in any of certain lower administrative positions. The official Nazi word was Funktionshäftling, or "prisoner functionary", but the Nazis commonly referred to them as kapos.- Etymology :The origin of "kapo"...
or his assistants. After two months at Plaszow, they returned to Auschwitz.
In August 1944, Bitton-Jackson and her mother were taken from Auschwitz to a factory in Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
. In Augsburg, she was put to work in an assembly line in the factory, where they produced a "precision instrument that is supposed to control the distance and direction of the bomb ejected by a fighter plane". They stayed until April 1945. After this she and her mother were taken to a subsidiary camp of Dachau, in Germany, where she was reunited with her older brother Bubi, who was staying in the men's camp. Her stay here was shortened due to the Allies advance and the three surviving members of the family were taken by trains further into Germany. On the way the guards deserted and many of the prisoners mistook this to be the liberation. However, the guards returned and fired upon those who had left the train, and ordered the others back onto the carriages. During the rest of the journey, Bitton-Jackson was able to keep her brother with herself and her mother. At one point, she spotted through the cracks in the carriage Red Cross trucks, and the soldiers informed them that the charity would be giving out food. The surviving inmates lined up close to the carriage entrance whereupon they were shot at by the SS. Bubi received a shot to the forehead, but survived. It was only after a week of travelling that the Americans discovered the trains full of dead, injured and starving inmates.
After the liberation, Bitton-Jackson, her mother and brother stayed in Seeshaupt where she helped to nurse her brother and fellow inmates back to health.
Later life
After the war she and her brother and mother returned to ŠamorínŠamorín
Šamorín or Somorja is a small town in western Slovakia, southeast of Bratislava.-Geography:The town is located on the Danubian Flat at the Žitný ostrov island, near the Gabčíkovo dam on the Danube. It is located around 17 km south-east of Bratislava and 25 km west of Dunajská Streda...
, believing that her father would be waiting for them, only to discover that he was dead. Her brother then moved to New York on a visa from a school scholarship. Bitton-Jackson had the opportunity to go with her brother but chose to stay in Czechoslovakia with her mother. The two stayed in Šamorín until 1951, when they finally got visas to go to America.
They traveled to America on a refugee boat, and Ms. Jackson, as she was then an adult, continued her education. She eventually enrolled in New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, and got a degree there. Dr. Bitton Jackson has a Ph.D. in Hebrew Culture and Jewish History obtained at New York University. She has been a professor of history at City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
for 37 years, and has won numerous awards, including the 1998 Christopher Award
Christopher Award
The Christopher Award is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, motion pictures and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit"...
for her book, I Have Lived a Thousand Years. ?
In 1977, Prof. Bitton moved to Israel, where she has been living ever since. She continued teaching at CUNY for years thereafter, and still makes periodic trips to the U.S. for speaking engagements. In April 2009, Prof. Bitton-Jackson was invited to speak in Omaha, Nebraska, for Holocaust Remembrance Day at the Durham Museum, with videolinks to Pleasanton and at Millard West High School
Millard West High School
Millard West High School is a public high school located in Omaha, Nebraska. The school first opened its doors on August 17, 1995. Currently, Millard West High School is the second largest school within the Millard Public Schools district. In 2002, the school was designated as a National Blue...
. She also spoke to members of the Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
at Offutt AFB.