Jv94
I was born in Vienna, Austria, to Mina and Bernard Leiter. On March 15, 1938, I was walking to school amid shouts of “Heil, Hitler.” I saw Adolf Hitler riding by in a car. The Anschluss, or annexation of Austria, had begun. On November 9, 1938, Kristallnacht, there was a loud knock on the door. It was the SS looking for my brother. The next day, I saw piles of books smoldering on the street and the shuls vandalized. My brother, Israel, immediately left for Holland, and I soon joined him. Eventually, we went into hiding with the help of the Kolek family. In May 1945, we were liberated. As long as G-d will give me, I will live.
Charlotte Seeman
Vienna, Austria