Remembering the Liberation of Auschwitz: Helen Kahan’s Testimony

Remembrance and Records: World War II Through Archival Collections

Published Jan 27, 2025 by
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Over the next year, in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Joyner Library Special Collections will be highlighting items from the East Carolina Manuscripts Collection that relate to the conflict and the individuals who served.

On January 27, 1945, the Soviet Army liberated Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp near Oświęcim, Poland. They found approximately 7,000 surviving prisoners, most of whom were gravely ill or starving, and uncovered evidence of the atrocities committed, including gas chambers and mass graves. This pivotal moment exposed the horrors of the Holocaust to the world and became a symbol of the need to remember and combat genocide and human rights violations.

For the past 80 years, the testimonies from survivors of Auschwitz have painted a story of not only Nazi Germany’s darkest atrocities but also of the resilience of the human spirit amidst unthinkable horrors. One such testimony is that of Helen Kahan, whose story is preserved in the East Carolina Manuscript Collection. For Kahan, the liberation of Auschwitz marked not just freedom, but the culmination of an unimaginable journey of endurance, loss, and survival.

Mrs. Helen Kahan Oral History Interview (#OH0261), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.

Early Life Interrupted

Helen Kahan, born in 1923 as Hani Sabo was the eldest of seven children born into a middle-class Jewish family in Rozavlea, Romania. Her life seemed ordinary until 1936 when growing anti-Semitic policies began to restrict Jewish opportunities. Unable to continue her education following middle school, Helen worked as a seamstress in Budapest. Following the Nazi occupation of Hungary in 1944, Helen returned to the safety of her home and her family. However, this safety proved to be illusory when, in 1944, her entire family was deported, first to a ghetto in Romania and then to Auschwitz.

Arrival at Auschwitz

Helen arrived at Auschwitz on her 21st birthday in May 1944 after enduring five days in a cramped, stifling cattle car. Upon arrival, she recalled the chilling scene: the air thick with a terrible smell, and Nazi guards sorting prisoners into two lines—those who would live and those condemned to immediate death. Dr. Josef Mengele, notorious for his inhumane experiments, was among the figures determining their fate. Helen, along with two of her sisters, was selected for forced labor, while her parents and several other family members were sent directly to the gas chambers.

Helen’s father, before being separated, gave her words of strength: “Work honestly, and we will meet after the war in our old home.” This hope of reunion became Helen’s guiding light as she struggled to survive.

Life in the Camp

Daily life in Auschwitz was marked by starvation, brutal labor, and constant fear. Helen described grueling 12-hour shifts building highways and working in fields, followed by long marches to and from work. SS guards, accompanied by dogs, inflicted relentless cruelty—forcing prisoners to run, beating those who could not keep up, and even killing for their amusement.

Survival required ingenuity. When Helen’s health deteriorated due to an infected wound, she and other prisoners resorted to self-inflicted rashes by using needles and rubbing salt into their skin. This temporary ailment allowed them to rest briefly in the camp’s so-called hospital, though this too was fraught with danger, as camp guards would periodically select individuals staying in the camp hospital to be sent to the crematorium.

Amidst the overwhelming brutality, Helen recalled occasional moments of humanity during her story. She explained how German worker would leave food or newspapers containing news of the war’s progress. Another SS officer, seemingly regretful of his role, turned a blind eye to certain actions that might have cost prisoners their lives. However, these small mercies were rare exceptions in a world dominated by cruelty and death.

The Death March and Liberation

As the Soviet Army approached Auschwitz in late 1944, Helen and other prisoners were transferred to Bergen-Belsen and later to Lippstadt. Conditions remained dire, with little food and inadequate clothing, especially as winter set in. Eventually, the Nazis began evacuating prisoners, forcing them on a death march through freezing temperatures to prevent their liberation. Helen and her fellow prisoners walked for weeks in freezing temperatures, their feet wrapped in rags to stave off frostbite. During one rest stop, a German worker, moved by her suffering, offered Helen his rubber boots. Though hesitant to accept anything from her oppressors, Helen later recognized that this act of kindness may have saved her life.

Eventually, Helen and her sister managed to escape the death march by hiding in a hayloft. They remained concealed until the Soviet Army liberated the area in May 1945 in Oschatz, Germany.  The joy of liberation was quickly tempered by the challenges of rebuilding her life. Helen, sick and weak from years of malnutrition and abuse, spent a year in hospitals and nursing homes recovering before she returned to Rozavlea in search of surviving family members. Her search ended in vain however as she was devastated to learn that her father, who had given her hope at Auschwitz, had been beaten to death in a labor. Her mother, along with most of her siblings, had also been murdered. Her youngest sister, though liberated from Bergen-Belsen, succumbed to typhus shortly afterward. Only one of Helen’s sisters survived alongside her.

Helen eventually made her way to America in 1967, where she began anew. Her testimony serves not only as a remembrance of the atrocities of Auschwitz but also as a testament to resilience and the enduring hope for a better future.

Why We Must Remember

Helen’s story, like those of countless Holocaust survivors, is a stark reminder of the consequences of hatred and intolerance. The liberation of Auschwitz was not just the end of one chapter but the beginning of a global reckoning with the depths of human cruelty. By listening to survivors like Helen and commemorating days like January 27th, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we honor the memory of the victims and renew our commitment to combating hate in all its forms.

Let Helen’s story remind us: that even in the darkest of times, humanity’s capacity for resilience and hope endures.

Visit the Ship’s Log and Joyner Library’s social media channels to learn more about materials related to World War II that are part of the East Carolina Manuscripts Collection’s holdings. Joyner Library Special Collections will be displaying an exhibit of items and individual stories related to World War II during the summer and fall of 2025.

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