Brigitte Altman was born in a city called Memel. In a place of about 48,000 people, only about 500 citizens were Jews. Her father was a businessman who had both a flour and lumber mill. She remembers both of her parents as being well respected and noble people. The Altman considered themselves to be a German-Jewish family. German was the primary language spoken in their home, however they extensively celebrated the major Jewish holidays. She remembers herself being a spoiled only child who went to an all girls private school and after the German rules began to take effect,she noticed a change in attitude from both teachers and friends alike. Brigitte's first awareness about the Nazis came from her very own kitchen table. Her parents would discuss the events that had taken place with their family members and knew they had to start making efforts to escape to the US or Canada. Despite this though, she explained that the family's daily activities continued on as any other day. They chose to leave their home and stay at a grandmothers home in 1939, where they stayed for 1-2 months. The family again relocated to Cogno, where Brigitte was enrolled in a Yiddish speaking school. Their family, at this time, had not been effected by the Soviet takeover. In June of 1941 the Germans marched in and established the racial edicts. The family was taken to a ghetto, which was the smallest and poorest part of the town. They were given no running water or sanitation and were forced to wear the yellow star of David. While living in the ghetto, she was given a job at a nursery/greenhouse. Luckily, she says, her boss was a jewish horticulturist. She considered herself very lucky. Brigitte explains that on Oct. 1941, the people of the ghetto were brought in for inspection and later directed to the left or the right. Eventually 10,000 people were taken away to be killed. She says she doesn't know how but some how here family was directed to the safe line. Brigitte's father wanted to find a way to allow her to escape, so through various messages he was able to contact a former gentile bookkeeper named Meta Dorloff. She eventually devised a plan with her husband to contact a freedom group that helped various people from the ghetto escape. The leader of the freedom group bribed the German gaurd to let her go free. When she got out, they crossed a river and met up with the book keeper. She kept Brigitte safe at her house, allowing her to work as her maid, until it became unsafe. Eventually her and her husband had to send Brigitte to a family farm where she helped attend to the land. While working on the farm she came across another jewish girl that was about six years old. She promised that she would take care of the little girl and never broke her promise. Brigitte explained that she was nearly raped many times at the farm, by a boy that worked there as well. Luckily though she was able to get away each time. The war finally ended and the area was liberated by a Russian solider. Brigitte and the little girl hitchhiked back to Covono where they came upon various family members or family friends. Although she lost contact with her family during the war, her and her father immigrated to the US in 1949. She later met her husband in 1951, where they were married in chicago. They raised a family of 3 sons and 1 daughter in Fortworth, Texas. She says that she was so busy with being a mother and wife that she didn't have time to look back on what all had happened to her. She said she wanted to blend into American culture as quickly as she could.
Quotes: "How they (holocaust revisionists) continue and posion so many minds with their vicious propaganda."
"There was very, very strict and ruthless guidelines effecting the Jewish population. That handwriting was on the wall and very easy to read."
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