Ben+G.

My Name is Betty Grebenschikoff, and I survived the holocaust

There was a time when people openly abused us on the streets. They threw rocks at us and threw us out of their home, leaving us with questions like. "What have I done to them, I was just playing with them yesterday." Soon enough these children were joining the Hitler Youth programs and wearing the respective uniforms and were telling me that I’m not good enough, and I’m bad!

When I told my mother about it, she hushed me like a mother would; and said "you need to be very careful because we're Jewish."

At this point I released that being Jewish was bad, as far as the Germans and Nazi were concerned.

My family and I were luck enough to go to shanghai. About twenty-thousand of us Jews were able to get into shanghai without any papers, we just needed a boat ticket and we would be on our way, without any problems.

But there was a problem; my father was to see the Gestapo on the 19th of May. We left on the 21st from Italy and on the 18th from Berlin.

We were terrified that we would be caught, because if the Gestapo found out, I wouldn't be standing here today.

When we were in shanghai, it was a true culture shock. My family and I had always come from a sanitized situation in Germany; we were clean, healthy, and well fed.

But in shanghai, it was a slum, well the place we landed was, there were many beggar, and families in need.

In Shanghai, we had to go to school. To our relief, many American and Shanghai Jews helped to build synagogues, homes, and schools in our area.

Somehow, all the teachers were English, or British, and only spoke English; they taught us songs, and music in their languages.

That’s how we learned English. Yet the people in Shanghai knew not how to deal with all these Jewish Refuges.

So the Chinese called in a German Official from the Gestapo to address the problem.

The official showed the Chinese leaders a gas canister that was used in the gas chambers back in Germany.

This was presented to the Chinese, but was quickly rejected, but the Germans had another idea. "Just put them on a boat, and set them out to sea"

But this too was rejected. And I and my fellow Jews were saved once again.

So they put us in a small ghetto area. It was very small, and I was only nine years old. You could walk, tirelessly from one end of the site to the other, several times.

I was moved to a model camp in Czechoslovakia, were many old Jews and well educated peoples were placed. It is a model camp because it was displayed to the media as a wholesome and well taken care of place to dwell for the Jews and Nazi alike.

Yet when the media storms left, it was back to merciless toil and hardship.

The German Jews were very much a part of the society. The German Jews were all over the place, doctors, lawyers, and such. Yet, they felt they couldn’t be touched by the Nazi, which was a main contributor to our downfall.

This is the story of my dad in College. He was on the rowing team and had a terrible accident where he almost died. My dad survived hypothermia.

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My name is Theodore Gary, and i survived hypothermia. It was Feb 1973, during this time I was nineteen, and had developed an ear infection. I was on m college crew team and despite my ailment, i was determind on going to my practice. This was a ten mile exercise, and because the weather had become unusually warm (at 45 degree air temperature) my team thought it was a good idea to go out for a practice cruise. The water was also around 40 degrees, because it had been a cold winter. At about the sevenths mile of the exercise, instead of properly "feathering the oar" out of the water, the oar was stuck in the water, and pulled me out of the boat, Leaving my sneakers tied into the boat! I was dramatically unprepared for this, it was a total surprise. I was only wearing one pair of sweatpants and two sweater shirts, that was it. I went in head first, by the time I came up, I was already suffering from hypothermia. The burden of the sweat clothing and hypothermia was great. There was no chase boat that day. (The safety motorboat) So, the other crew members had to figure out how to stop the crew boat, and get me back inside. By the time my crew got back to me, I could hear, but I could no longer see, or move my limbs. That’s what death from hypothermia is like. I was hastily carried to the carried to the Fordham boathouse showers. While in the shower, I felt temperature difference between my skeleton and flesh. As if dry ice, was being fused and pulled of of lean meat. But there is more. The untreated sewage in the Harlem River gave me serious infections, causing me to miss three weeks of school. My Parents were angry actually, they were angry at the school for allowing me to get into such a dangerous situation, and also that i might miss my mid-terms. I took many anti-biotics, and visited three hospitals and one apartment for the proper attention. The experience was a real drag, and a major turning point in my life. My parent’s didn’t want me to go back to the team, and i was upset, because he did all that training for nothing. i still loved the sport, yet i hated that i couldn't show what i could do. This was a terrible event, even so, it happend again, the next year actually. There was a life boat behind the rowing vessel, a kid fell into the water and was not saved. For me, this event could've been avioded, if i had waited until my ear infection had past, then i would been well enough to practice with the crew and compete later on. I chose this sport, rowing, because I had never seen a black guy on a rowing team ever! From this experience, i've learned that patience and intellect is one of the greatest traits one could have.

Ben Gary What Happened? It was Feb 1973. As a member of the crew team my father went out on a ten mile exercise, b/c the weather had become unusually warm. At 45 degree air temperature. The water was also around 40*, because it had been a cold winter. My father had developed an ear infection, but because of his determination, he went out anyway. At about the sevenths mile of the exercise, instead of properly "feathering the oar" out of the water, the oar was stuck in the water, and pulled him out of the boat, Leaving his sneakers tied into the boat.

How old were you? He was nineteen

Were you prepared for this? Not even close, it was a total surprise. He was wearing one pair of sweatpants and two sweater shirts that was it.

How did you react at first? He went in head, by the time he came up, he was already suffering from hypothermia. The burden of the sweat clothing and hypothermia was great. There was no chase boat that day. (The safety motorboat) So, the other crew members had to figure out how to stop the crew boat, and get back to him inside. By the time they got back to him, He could hear, but he could no longer see, or move his limbs. That’s what death from hypothermia is like.

How did you recover? He was carried to the carried to the Fordham boathouse showers. While in the shower, he could the temperature difference between his skeleton and flesh. But there is more. The untreated sewage in teh Harlem River gave him serious infections, causing him to miss three weeks of school.

How did your family react to this? They were angry

Why were they angry at you? They were angry at the school for allowing him to get into such a dangerous situation, and also that he would miss his mid-terms.

Did you take medicine? Many anti-biotics

Where did you go for medical attention? He visited three hospitals and one apartment for the proper attention.

What was the experience like as a whole? "Uh, a real drag", and a major turning point in his life. His parent’s didn’t want him back on the team. And my father was upset, because he did all that training for nothing. At this point in your life, how did you feel about rowing and sports? He still loved the sport, yet hated that he couldn't show what he could do.

Did this event happen again? Yes it did, the next year actually, even though there was a life boat behind the rowing vessel, a kid fell into the water and was not saved.

Do you think this could've been prevented? Absolutely, if he had waited until his ear infection had past, then he would been well enough to practice with the crew and compete later on.

Why Chose rowing? He chose it because he had never seen a black guy on a rowing team.

Did you learn from this experience? Yes, he did he learned that patience and intellect is one of the greatest traits one could have.