https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/media_oi.php?ModuleId=0&MediaId=1163
[Interview: 1989]
Born: 1921, Vienna, Austria
After the Germans annexed Austria in 1938, Leo attempted to flee. He eventually reached Belgium. In 1940 he was deported to the St.-Cyprien camp in France but escaped. In 1942 Leo was smuggled into Switzerland but was arrested and sent back to France, this time to the Rivesaltes and Drancy camps. He and a friend escaped from a train deporting them to Auschwitz in Poland. Leo joined the French underground in 1943. He arrived in the United States in 1947.
"We arrived in Drancy and were checked-in. The checking-in progress in Drancy was... Well, a first step in a real dehumanization process. Number one, when we arrived there, the faces that we saw.. The eyes with queries in them and a lot of questions. "Where are you coming from ?" and "How is it outside?","What did you..", "What do you think and what news do you have?". Everybody gathering about a new group of arrivals because they may have something to convey. And we went through a barrack process of.. Checking-in which would also mean taking away your watch, your rings, certain belonging, money. And another psychological ploy. Giving you a receipt for the things that they took from you, with the admonition. "Don't lose that because you will never get them back. That is your receipt, that has a number on it!". And it had a number on it ! Just imagine that.."
"Nous sommes arrivés à Drancy et avons été enregistrés. Les étapes d'enregistrement à Drancy étaient.. Et bien, un premier pas vers les étapes de déshumanisation. Numéro un, quand nous sommes arrivés là-bas, les visages que nous avons vus... Les yeux avec des interrogations et beaucoup de questions. "D'où viens-tu ?" et "Comment c'est dehors?","Qu'as-tu...","Que penses-tu et quelles nouvelles as-tu?". Tout le monde se rassemblait autour d'un nouveau groupe d'arrivants car ils avaient peut-être quelque chose à transmettre. Et nous sommes allés vers un enregistrement de caserne de... L'enregistrement voulait aussi dire enlever votre montre, vos bagues, des biens, de l'argent. Et un autre stratagème psychologique. Ils te donnaient un reçu pour les choses qu'ils t'avaient prises avec un avertissement. "Ne perd pas ça car tu ne pourras jamais les retrouver. C'est ton reçu, il y a un numéro dessus!". Et il y avait un numéro dessus ! Imaginez cela..."
Judith
