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Alex Kuechel Nov. 2014 for Kristalnacht I was born in Berlin Germany. My parents originally came from Poland My Father was manufacturer of men's clothing I had a sister who was three years older I went to Christian school, where I was forced to leave. I attended a private Jewish school on Ryke Str. Behind our building was the largest synagogue in Germany. In the afternoon I went to the Talmud Torah. I belonged to a Zionist organization "Macabi Hazair" 500 thousand Jews lived in Berlin. They were German citizens, and resided in Germany for many generations, most of them did not believe what Hitler promised in his book. They thought it will pass. In 1933 Jewish people started to leave. It was very difficult. No one wanted the Jews. Breckenridge Long from the State Department, ?? Antisemite, gave a directive to all the consulates in Europe to make it very difficult to emigrate to the USA. >> from the ? , were left open. Shanghai was the only country one could go without a visa. The world did not care about the Jewish people and their plight, and Hitler saw that they were expendible. Oct. 5 1938 - follwing reqeust by Swiss authorities, German mark all Jewish passports with a large letter "J" to restrict Jews from immigrating to Switzerland. Oct. 28 - 17,000 Polish Jews living in Germany expelled, Poles refused to admit them, 8000 are stranded in the frontier villag of "Zbaszyn". My father was among them. I recall my mother bringing some clothing, he was taken to a small police station, next to our school. Nov 8, 1938, I was 14 years old. I remember our neighbor knocking at our door, telling us that something terrible will happen. The next day, not to leave the premises. Kristallnacht: Night of the Broken Glass - anti- Jewish program in Germany, Austria and the Sudeienland. 200 synagogues destroyed, 7500 concentration camps, Dacau, Buchenwald, Sachsen Hausen - one billion Mark fine leveled against German Jews for the destruction of property during Kristallnacht. At the time my mother was concerned about my sister, who had become engaged to a Jewish man. Urged them to leave Germany. They tried to go to Switzerland, were denied entry, the "J" in their passports, went to Belgium, Antwerp, then Brussels. Got married, had a son. In August 1942 were sent to "Maine" Old army barracks and then to Auschwitz where they all perished. III I remained with my mother in Berlin. March 1939 I was packed to go to Palestine with the Youth Aliyah. Our Zionist leader came to my mother and asked if I would forfeit my certificate, so someone could be released from a concentration camp. With a promise another certificate to Palestine or place on a Kinder Transport to England. In June 1939 we received notice to meet on Anholter-Bahnhof, to be sent to Poland. We had one suitcase and ten Reichsmark, we were reunited with my father, went to Krakow, and then to Chzanon, "A Shtetle". 20 kilometer from Auschwitz! Ten weeks of Sept. 1939 when the war broke out I received my orders to go to England with the Kindertransport. I waited for my passport. I got stuck in Poland. In 1942, the small town of Chranon was cleared of Jews. They were sent to Auschwitz, my parents among them. I survived seven concentration camps. I am the sole survivor. Shalom