Deaf Holocaust Survivor Interview

Doris Fedrid, a deaf Holocaust survivor who became blind later in life and currently resides in Seattle, was interviewed on her experiences. The 32-minute video can be seen at http://tinyurl.com/mqx7bk

According to an article, "Testimonies of Deaf Holocaust Survivors" that appeared on The Daily Gazette website at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, PA, Fred and Doris Fedrid were imprisoned in the Tarnopol ghetto for two years.

Fred Fedrid was one of three tailors that Dr. Simon J. Carmel mentioned during his lecture at Swarthmore College in October 2007 in sharing stories of the persecuted deaf Jewish during World War II.

Carmel says that an estimated 25,000 deaf Jewish people were murdered in the Holocaust. With only about 20 deaf survivors left today, Carmel’s records become increasingly important.

Carmel said that Fedrid's skill as a tailor "helped them survive in a time when being deaf, disabled or 'weak' in some way often meant death.

"As a man of the trade, Fedrid always carried scissors with him. As clothing of the era lacked any pockets, he placed the scissors in the band of his wedding ring, concealing them from Nazi soldiers. A great barterer, he would allow other prisoners to borrow his pair in exchange for food or other services.

"Unlike other persecuted groups in the Holocaust, the deaf did not have a specific identity badge. Most often the Nazis forced the non-Jewish deaf through sterilization, believing that it would prevent any perpetuation of disability in the Aryan race. (A false belief—only 10% of deaf couples have deaf children.) About 17,500 deaf Germans were sterilized between 1933 and 1945.

"Fred Fedrid, however, did wear a pin labeled Taubstuum, meaning “deaf and dumb”—two conditions which do not necessarily go together. Although today pride in sign language and in deaf culture often scorns instructing deaf children to speak and to read lips, oralism saved many deaf from prosecution."

Report on Dr. Carmel's lecture - http://daily.swarthmore.edu/2007/10/28/testimonies-of-deaf-holocaust-survivors/

Doris Fedrid interview video - http://tinyurl.com/mqx7bk