Testimony of Tirtza Louisa Zairi, nee Perez, born in Amsterdam, Holland in 1930, regarding her experiences during her deportation to Bergen Belsen and her transfer to Turkey within the frame of population exchange.

Testimony of Tirtza Louisa Zairi,nee Perez,born in Amsterdam,Holland in 1930,regarding her experiences during her deportation to Bergen Belsen and her transfer to Turkey within the frame of population exchange. Family background; observant family with Turkish nationality; moving to Enschede,1936; life of Jewish community; father's trip to Turkey in order to arrange papers and his stay there because he was advised not to return; German occupation,May 1940; expulsion from home to a village; return to city; studies prohibition at governmental school; attending school opened by community; permission not to wear the yellow badge due to their Turkish nationality; mother's help with people in hiding; wanderings between apartments until 1943; moving to stay with Jewish doctor; deportation to train station and from there to the Schouburg theatre in Amsterdam for 3 weeks; concentration of Jews in the theatre and taking care of Kindergarten children there; deportation to Westerbork,summer 1943; deportation to Bergen Belsen with Kindergarten children,1944; staying at Star Camp for about 2 months; joining group of Turks and transfer to another camp(apparently camp of neutrals) for 10 months; infection and receiving an injection with help of kapo; complication of infection and receiving personal help from head of camp who made sure Tirtza would get proper treatment by doctor who was POW; moving barracks; leaving camp in direction of Turkey within frame of population exchange between Germans and Turks,March 1945; getting to Turkey via various stations; aliya to Israel,1945; absorption and rehabilitation.