Testimony of Joseph Matalon, born in Thessaloniki, 1922, regarding his experiences in the Thessaloniki Ghetto, in the Auschwitz-Birkenau and Bodki camps, and in the death march to Mauthausen

Testimony of Joseph Matalon, born in Thessaloniki, 1922, regarding his experiences in the Thessaloniki Ghetto, in the Auschwitz-Birkenau and Bodki camps, and in the death march to Mauthausen His childhood in Thessaloniki in a traditional, middle class family; his brother is drafted to the Greek Army, 1938, to fight on the front against Italy; the entry of the Germans into Greece, 1941; deterioration of living conditions; dismissal of Jews from their places of work and travel restrictions; deportation to the Baron Hirsch Ghetto, 1943; description of the ghetto and its daily life; deportation together with his brother and mother to Auschwitz-Birkenau; refusal to flee the transport with the help of a Christian friend; arriving at the camp and working in ditches; the last time he saw his sister on the other side of the fence; selection, and deportation to the Bodki camp; daily life and agricultural work; the death march to Mauthausen, January 1945; selection, and separation from his brother. Transfer to Bologna after liberation; return to Greece; marriage; aliya to Eretz Israel on the illegal immigrant ship "Haviva Reich," 1946; acclimatization to Israel.