Jarred Lemler Mr. Neuburger Eng.

101-130 22 March 2012 Holocaust Survivor Testimonies Edith Coliver Edith Coliver was born July 26, 1922, in Karlsruhe, Germany. She is the oldest of 2 brothers Harold and Robert. My early childhood was quiet peaceful Edith said during her interview. She had a normal family, normal school, she lived in a big house. Her parents were Fritz and Hedwig, her father was a local
banker. During the time of the war, Edith remembers that life began to change at the age of ten. Once Hitler came to power in 1933 he made all the Jews and Jewish shops wear the yellow star of David. A few years later because Edith was a Jew she was no longer allowed to attend public school. Her family sent her to London to live with a family-friend and attend a public school there. There is one part in the interview that really sticks out at me, its when she goes to tell about running into an old classmate. They begin talking to catch up, and began naming classmates that were still alive. They come across Gertrude name, Edith said she is dead, she died in an extermination camp. After being in

London for about a year, her parents made her come back home. They all knew about the war and were trying to escape, to flee to America. However, Edith and her brothers had no say so, also that because of Edith's age she was able to leave the country on her parents visa. If she was 17 then she wouldn't have been able to leave and would probably had been killed later down the road. After arriving to San Francisco Edith attended George Washington High School, and was a member of the first graduating class. She went to study International Relations and Political Science at the University of California. After graduation she went to work for Washington D.C for the Office of War Information serving as a propaganda analyst. In September 1945 Edith arrived in Nuremberg to participate in the War Trials, but as a translator. She was involved in many trials. Edith remembered

Nuremberg as a defining experience in her life that made her recognize just how lucky her and her family were to escape and create a better life.