Speech #990041107

Mr. President. the April 1985. edition of Midstream magazine has a section titled "Holocaust Reminiscences." This section is composed of a number of articles. many written by survivors of the Holocaust. Alfred Lipson. a survivor of the Vaihingen and Dachau concentration camps wrote one of these articles: "The Gamble That Saved SixtyFive." The article is based on events in 1942 during the forced deportation and killing of people living in the Radom ghetto. Lipson worked in a furniture factory outside the ghetto. spoke fluent German. and become secretary at the factory. He was responsible for obtaining work passes and night permits so Jews could work in the factory. When the destruction of the ghetto began. Lipson gathered as many of his fellow workers as he could in the factory. where they were temporarily safe. Over a 3day period. the Germans loaded boxcars full of people onto trains and deported them. turning the ghetto into a labor camp containing only the ablest of the ghetto. It was important for Lipsons group to stay out of the sight of the Germans for as long as possible because some of this group did not meet the strict criteria set by the Germans in order to remain in Radom. The survival of these 65 people depended on the efforts of one man in manipulating the Germans. using a common language to have them accept him as one of their own. Mr. Lipson was able to assure the Germans that nothing was wrong and that there were no Jews hiding in the factory. If it were not for his ability to persuade the Germans and his forethought in seeing the impending destruction of the ghetto and getting the night work permits. many of his group would have been killed. However. the survival of the group was jeopardized when the factory owners wife became fearful for her own survival. With the factory owner out of town during the deportations. his wife was in charge. Over the 3day period. she kept insisting that the group leave the factory and even went as far as to call the German authorities to let them know of the Jews hiding there. Mr.