"My Story"

Copyright Holder: Mr. Sol Graf Sol Graf (Zoltan Grof, Shlomo Graf) was born in Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary, in 1930. He was an only child. His father, Izidor, suffered from tuberculosis and his mother, Gizella, ran the family store, selling vegetables, fruit, and dairy products. In May 1944, the family was deported to the Moson ghetto, but quickly deported to the larger ghetto in Gyor. At the beginning of June 1944, the family was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, and were all separated. Sol's father perished in Auschwitz. Sol was sent to the children's barrack of the Roma camp, but was later deported to Auschwitz I. He was soon deported out of Auschwitz altogether and was transferred frequently between camps. By the time he was liberated in Gunskirchen in May 1945, Sol had been in the Sachsenhausen, Lieberose, and Mauthausen concentration camps. He was briefly hospitalized in Wells, Austria, before returning to Hungary, where he reunited with his mother who had also survived. He was briefly involved in currency trading immediately after the war. In the summer of 1946, he was part of an illegal immigration to Palestine but was luckily allowed to disembark in Palestine. During the War of Independence, he fought with the Israeli Navy, remaining in the military until 1966. After he left the miltary, he emigrated to the United States and lives outside of New York City. Consists of one memoir, 55 pages, entitled "My Story," by Sol Graf (also known as Zoltan Grof or Shlomo Graf), originally of Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary. He describes pre-war life, the invasion of Hungary, being sent to the Moson ghetto and from there to the ghetto in Gyor. At the beginning of June, he was deported to Auschwitz and describes the selection process and being placed in the children's barrack in the so-called "Gypsy camp." He was transferred to Auschwitz I and later to the Sachsenhausen, Lieberose, and Mauthausen concentration camps. He was liberated from Gunskirchen in May 1945 and describes his post-war hospitalization. He returned to Hungary and reunited with his mother, who had also survived. He illegally emigrated to Palestine in 1946, describes his experiences in the navy during the War of Independence and the sinking of the Altalena in 1949. He remained in the military until 1966, when he emigrated to the United States. The memoir includes copies of photographs.