Auschwitz Survivor and War Crimes Trial Witness | Linda Breder | USC Shoah Foundation

“At the trial, when I was on the witness stand, [the Nazi defendants] looked at me and smiled, like nothing happened. Indeed, they were set free. Nothing happened to them, both killers and sadists.”
Linda Breder was born in Stropkov, Czechoslovakia in 1924. During World War II, Linda survived the Auschwitz II-Birkenau death camp and the Auschwitz I, Neubrandenburg, Ravensbruck, and Rechlin concentration camps. After enduring a death march from Auschwitz, Linda was liberated by Soviet armed forces at Neubrandenburg.
While imprisoned at Auschwitz, Linda endured forced labor, sorting through the clothing and collecting the belongings of prisoners who had been murdered.
In the 1960s, after a former Auschwitz SS guard was discovered owning a restaurant in Vienna, the Austrian Justice Department contacted Linda to participate as a witness in two war crimes trials.
Linda was interviewed by USC Shoah Foundation in 1996.
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#LindaBreder #HolocaustSurvivorLindaBreder #wwii #survivoreducation #AuschwitzSurvivor

[@johnforeman634]

I’m almost ashamed of ever complaining about anything in my life.

[@Banner_Yet_Wave]

Rest in peace Linda Breder. May the world never forget. As a German immigrant to America in 1995, I am mortified, and at the same time, so thankful to learn, from you, what the darkest sides of humanity are capable of. We should never let hate of any sort fester in our hearts.

[@zxy78267]

When did she pass away? She went through so much, and it clearly still hurt her, but she raised a family and had successful businesses.

[@annieorourke4822]

Incredible. She is truly heroic...❤

[@vigmarianna2453]

❤

[@schelliegris7481]

Well said.

[@user-bb8rt3xo6p]

😊😊😊😊😊

[@joanflint-mt5os]

Special thanks to the interviewer for excellent listening skill.

[@sibert1974]

I agree. So many interviewers constantly interrupt but this lady let Linda tell her tragic story.

[@annemariestein7491]

After listening to around 25 testimonies I have to say that the interviewer was absolutely outstanding and she is one of the reasons why Mrs Breder testimony is so compelling.

[@jiehuazhao8183]

“I cried the scars in my hearts” “I always live the bitterness of Auschwitz”… 😢 that is truly the scar in the hearts of entire human being. We are all with her. It could be any of us. Rest in peace, Mrs Breder, a true fighter, warrior. God Bless!❤

[@RamonaRayTodosSantosBCS]

Incredible detailed testimony. I chuckled when she mentioned her memory of the past crystal clear. But don't ask what i had for breakfast yesterday. All those evil people may have escaped judgement in this world, but they won't escape in the next. They will suffer for eternity.

[@susankoech2039]

Most of the SS died in the 70s and 80s however I hope they repented and regretted their attrocities otherwise they suffer in eternal damnation for eternity....

[@krc2143]

When you hear these stories …. How in the world do people think this didn’t happen …..?? 😢💔

[@carolblair5514]

I wish this wonderful woman had written a book. She is such a great historian.

[@gonefishing167]

Thank you Mrs Breder, these testimonies are so important. What I find a marvel is these people went on to have fulfilling lives. They worked so hard to make that life, earn and save money. Their children also seem to have good lives, study hard etc. no grizzles ( not in public anyway) and their attitudes are so admirable. Compare it to a lot of people these days, they have a melt down over a broken finger nail snd have to go on you tube to tell of their ‘trauma’ ( preferably with very little on) Thank you and blessings to you all 🙏🙏🙏👵🇦🇺

[@beatricesiher6516]

What a brave woman..and so bright..I heard all...

[@ericahalmai8490]

one of the best testimony I have heard, rest in peace , sweet lady🇦🇺🙏🌻

[@laurap.5804]

...one of the most difficult interview...I cried with her...

[@MatMat-qi2rd]

I visited Mauthausen camp some days ago. It's unbearable. How can something so terrible take place? Never forget.

[@alwaysglamorous8941]

I was bawling when she spoke about the hunger this is insane

[@gretchenzwicker338]

What a doll. I would have loved to have known her, spend time with her, listen to her stories. God Bless sweet Mrs. Breder.❤

[@fransrabie6609]

Thank you Linda Breder for this testimony. To everyone who listen to you and take your suffering and message to heart, God bless and God bless your soul Linda. Never forget and never again.

[@krc2143]

RIP Mrs. Breder You are the best speaker/storyteller It’s amazing what you had to go through and what a person can take when positive and have hope. I am glad you had a good life once you immigrated to the states!! God bless your family. ❤

[@dlynn0707]

How people forget this and have us sending billions to Ukraine when they treated them worse than Germans. RIP Linda. Thank you for sharing your amazing life with us.

[@dixiehowe852]

It is so very important that we hear these stories and NEVER FORGET what happened and the importance that we conquered this evil. Thank you.

[@loricook6331]

This is so important. It should be required viewing before a person is allowed to vote. We must not comply

[@nancya7886]

What a wonderful, strong lady. So many years of hardship and misery. Thank you for sharing your story.

[@jeangetty5841]

Makes you cry what those people went through by the hands of evil madmen that called thereselfs soldiers god rest them all 😢😢😢😢😢😢

[@gailkearney998]

May her memory be a blessing!

[@fuensantacampillogomez3288]

Thank you for offering the testimony that, although the experiences were extremely painful, we are also comforted by the hope that your tenacity and courage transmits to us. Thanks a lot!!!

[@ginagina9720]

R.I.P. Linda breder it was so sad listening to your story…. R.I.P. to all the victims who sadly died at these camps just so sad…

[@jeangetty5841]

What a lovely lady rip 😢

[@DianAND-5]

God bless 🙏🏼 you Linda Breder. ❤May you rest in peace. Thank you for passing on to so many generations what happened in those times so we all do not repeat it. 🙏🏼

[@tashyole149]

Such an amazing story ❤ love to her family, from Australia xx

[@beatricesiher6516]

So evil..even death marchs...killings..children..evil on earth!!!! Every survivor is such a big mir acle...

[@chantalsimpendingheartatta9355]

How do you ever trust another human being ever after this???!!! I am a total misanthrope just from listening to these testimonials

[@aqeel3274]

Linda breder is brave women .

[@JamesDivirgilio-my8fx]

amazing they did these testimonials...

[@elaneradim6117]

THANK YOU

[@rameshsharma1952]

I have listened to many Survivor testimonies on your channel. Now few Survivors are alive. I wish that someone of survivors give reason for brutal behaviour of Nazis toward them . If it was without reason out of sheer madness of Nazis they should tell that

[@alwaysglamorous8941]

Soul crushing 😔

[@bridgetttubbs9959]

They say everybody has a twin. This lady looks just like my Mother. God bless !

[@gilliamjf]

She looks like my grandma, maybe it's the hairdo

[@alwaysglamorous8941]

What a lovely lady ❤

[@stefansteigerwald417]

I don’t know anything about the Steigerwalts except a sweet letter

[@marionmarcetic7287]

Rest In Peace Linda Breder! May GOD Richly Bless You And ALL Of Your Descendants. NEVER NEVER NEVER FORGET THESE ATROCITIES!!!✝️✝️✝️📛🕊️🕊️🕊️❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥🤰🤱🧬🤰🤱🌺🌺🌺🙏🙏🙏🇨🇦🇮🇱♾️🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🗽🦅‼️

[@martinayari3529]

No idea how she could survive it.. how anyone could survive it..how people could do this to other people. She mentioned people who escaped successfully Auschwitz who were from Slovakia... my homeland. She was from Slovakia too - Stropkov.

[@NaticzkaKaminskaHenryDolphin]

Also, 'Żydówka' simply means female Jew, not 'dirty Jew', as she said.

[@user-lq9td8to1q]

Zyd or zydowka is a derogatory, nasty way of saying Jew in various parts of Eastern Europe. Akin to the n word in English. Including, quite possibly where she was living.

RIP lovely lady but we are witnessing another holocaust in this day human never learns 😢

[@PredestinedtowinforJesus]

Amen it is here !

[@lillianmcgrew217]

❤

[@ziege92]

Subtítulos en español 😢

[@donpoldong]

wait i am from Poland and i dont really know about how anti-semitic the Polish inmates could be, but the word "żydówka" whitch the Lady said to mean "dirty jew" does not mean that, it is just the feminine of the word "żyd" whitch just means a jew

[@terrieormonde2340]

Maybe not back then, and yes their were Polish in the Natzi movement, but not all !!!

[@margaretmaged2584]

The interviewer is not listening she is asking over and over the same thing

[@heidijohnes7400]

Sounds like she keeps lighting a lighter and smoking!

[@candicandicandimorgon7007]

Shame on you all

[@laurap.5804]

sorry but I must add: at the very ending the picture taken at Kanada with the girls laughing knowing they were sorting staff from people's belongings...well it is disturbing.

[@zxy78267]

You would be surprised at how many people laugh at what seems like inappropriate times. You have to understand what they were going through. And they were just young girls. For context, I was in the military, and basic training was not pleasant. Sometimes we'd laugh from a sort of stress overload, especially if we were exhausted. We'd discuss how we felt like we were cracking up, as in almost crazy, but we'd still laugh. Laughter can also be a way to avoid the horror that they were dealing with every minute of every day. They probably were on the edge of complete hysteria or a nervous breakdown. None of us will (hopefully) ever be in that position, so there's no way we can understand, but criticizing her for laughing isn't particularly fair.

[@laurap.5804]

@@zxy78267 I get your point, I only said it disturb me, that was not a critic at all, I like her interview very very much.I have a strange relation with that period, always had. If I was to believe in resurrection I was there....something I have to deal with myself since I was very young. This is why I reacted like that....

[@hadassadeijkers823]

I think when you in the same situation....you won't have a clue how your reaction can be .... yeah I get your point to be disturb....but you must know even in the dark periods off life you have those moments off laughing I think and believe those moments are hard to see for a outsider but crucial for strength off survival ... if you know what I try to say

[@laurap.5804]

@@hadassadeijkers823 yes of course...

[@russelconor8704]

there were way more successful escapes from Auschwitz - it's also documented. the most famous one of Witold Pilecki, a Polish captain and the one who actually created the resistance in Auschwitz. Read about him becasue this man is a true hero, who actually volunteered to be in Auschwitz, to create the resistance. and there were in fact many Poles in Auschwitz like this, which proves some of the things she said here are biased and wrong. Quite simply, all types of people are in all nations, depending on the individual.

[@sassyt1545]

Sounds like you are the one with the bias. How dare you make disparaging remarks about this brave lady. Shame on you.

[@tomsparks6099]

From what I read about Pilecki, he had ulterior motives which were not necessarily for the resistance to free the prisoners of Auschwitz

[@Sad_bumper_sticker.]

[@user-ez8es8gm8q]

Остался только пепел.

[@vivannet231]

2:27:26

[@user-hk7qu8gi6n]

During all the video i steal thinking about that the father and her brothers was singing Shabbat song and so she is but her father keep hashing her "be silence" becaose in the orthofocs community males not sopouse to hear female singing becaose it stimulate them to fill forbidden erotic Fillings toard her. It makes me creizy, why the females punished like covering her heir, covering her body, not leading the males, not studing, not studing the law/ be rabbi, the females punished all their life to spend all their life at close at home poosh away from the pablic acts & life Only becaose the males easyly stimulated to erotic sins and the males have permition to do everything in pablic. Those desidions done by the males. The gender all over the world all over the history with the same DNA that cos the horrible crimes/things during the history. That what i thought all the time during this video

[@theannaconklin5836]

TLHSCisME So very sad this story of this lovely lady! Her story makes me miss my wonderful Jewish KAHAL of many years ago: beautiful people of the most beautiful Book! So sad for a one who above doesn't understand that hiding my hair, covering my body, my arms & legs is my PROTECTION, NOT PUNISHMENT! The lovely haus, schul, & kheder this dear lady grows up in, has me homesick for my "Jewish Family" of years back: WE WERE ENCOURAGED TO STUDY TANAKH just as the men were. NOW she is describing the horrors of BIRKENAU & AUSHWITZ: "We were fighting for our lives... for a place to lie down; how to save our lives & our friends' lives...HOW HORRID that the Monster NAZIS "liquidated" Gypsies, "their" own "Family Camp",etc.! Hungarians, Latvi- ans, Austrians...etc., So very sad, this story of this lovely lady! Her story makes me miss my wonderful Jewish KAHAL of many years ago: lovely, beautiful people of the beautiful Book! So sad for a 1 who above doesn't understand that hiding my hair, covering my body, my arms, & legs is my PROTECTION, NOT PUNISHMENT! The lovely HAUS,SCHUL,& KHEDER,this dear lady grows up in,has me homesick for my"JewishFamily" of long years ago. WE WOMEN were always ENCOURAGED to STUDY TANAKH just as the MEN were.NOW she is describing the horrors of BIRKENAU & AUSHWITZ:"We were fighting for our lives...a place to lie down...to save our lives, & our friends' lives... "HOW HORRID that the Monster Nazis "liquidated" Gypsies, their "Family Camp",etc.,Austrians,Latvians, & last of all,Hungarians. She says lots of prisoners prayed to die! She knows of prisoners who'd their letters secretly delivered to many heads of states: Britain, Austria, England, even USA, but theyWEREN'T BELIEVED OR ANSWERED. Mrs.Brader tells of uprisings of the SONDER- COMMANDOS,who were th'ones who herded victims to the gassing & cremation ovens, & took out what was left of bodies from ovens. She is A VERY COURAGEOUS LADY, who has endured more than we can imagine! who has survived what many more gave up & couldn't endure...even their journey to freedom was a nightmare--a MIRACLE ANY ONE SURVIVED!

[@theannaconklin5836]

& last of all, more Hungarians.She says many prisoners prayed to die. She knows of many prisoners who'd their letters secretly sent & delivered to many heads of states: Austria, Britain,even USA, but they were not believed or answered. Mrs.Brader tells of an uprising of Sondercomandos, who herded victims to the gassing\cremation ovens,& took remains out of what was left of bodies. She is a VERY COURAGEOUS LADY who has endured more than l can imagine!Who's survived what many more gave up,couldn't endure: even their trip to freedom was a long nightmare: it's a MIR- ACLE ANYONE SURVIVED!! What joy: a half- sister,cousin,an aunt! WHAT A BRAVE LADY! 1966 they FINALLY made it to U.S. freedom! SHE SHOULD WRITE A BOOK ABOUT THIS!

[@rosiegirl2485]

Only Holy things are veiled...which is why women are veiled.

[@terrieormonde2340]

True Christians should have known better, shameful!!!

[@EYEBALLKLOTT]

Love gives 1 good thing and simultaneously outside my window, steals one away for her future. I hate it. Throw it out. It's saboteurs and uneccessary. Keep all of the sound effects.

[@tinasmith770]

huh???!!!!

[@johnforeman634]

Do you ever actually read what you write and verify if it is in any possible way understandable to another human being?? Why do you waste peoples time writing gibberish?

[@patrickhardman2568]

Are these the only people in the world who have ever suffered at the hands of their fellow man? And then turn around and profit enormously from it.

[@loricook6331]

What the hell is wrong with you?

[@NessaBear90]

​@loricook6331 They're a troll and a propaganda spreader. They obviously have nothing better to do than be brave behind a keyboard.

[@tatonemio6388]

How dead people can "profit enormously" from been killed?

[@NewEngland721]

?! The atrocities they lived with (not knowing if they were the lucky ones to be living) for years .. unimaginable! Yes others have also, but to this extent?

@@NewEngland721Palestinian experiencing since 75 years