Prisoner clothing that Kalman Freireich took from the camp storeroom when he was liberated
Kalman and Miriam Freireich on their wedding day, Munich, 1947
Prisoner clothing that Kalman Freireich took from the camp storeroom when he was liberated
Kalman and Miriam Freireich on their wedding day, Munich, 1947
Until 1942, Kalman, his parents, Fradel and Shmuel Freireich and his six siblings managed to live in Jaworzno, Poland despite the restrictions imposed on the Jews. No ghetto was set up but an appointed Judenrat managed the life of the Jews in the town, and was responsible for supplying workers for the Nazi factories in the area. In March 1942, Kalman and his brothers fled to Sosnowiec but returned, fearing that their sister would be deported in their place. At first, Kalman was sent to a labor camp in Sosnowiec and from there he was sent to the Gogolin camp where he built roads. Later he was transferred to a camp near Dembrovitz and worked laying railway tracks.
In January 1945 the prisoners were forced on a death march in the direction of Germany and arrived at the Gross-Rosen camp where Kalman received prison-number 25369. A few days later he was transferred to Buchenwald and was registered as prisoner number 129443. Kalman was liberated at Buchenwald in April 1945. On liberation, he took a prisoner shirt and trousers from the camp storeroom.
After liberation Kalman was in the Neu Freimann and Foernwald DP camps near Munich, where he met and married Miriam née Goldstein, also a Holocaust survivor. Of the whole Freireich family - parents and seven children – only siblings Kalman, Yeshayahu and Ratzel survived.
Yad Vashem Artifacts Collection Courtesy of Rina Mizrahi, Nes Tziona