David Wolnerman was born in 1927 in the small town of Modrzejo, Poland. [Annotator’s Note: Video Break at 0:01:45.000.] His parents delivered flour to the local bakeries. He grew up with three siblings. When David was 13 years old, the Nazis took over Poland [Annotator’s Note: The German Army invaded Poland on 1 September 1939]. He was sent to Auschwitz [Annotator's Note: Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp complex in German occupied Oswiecim, Poland] where he encountered Doctor Mengele [Annotator's Note: SS-Hauptsturmführer, or Captain, Dr. Josef Mengele]. Prior to entering the concentration camp, he was sent to a work camp for a while where he dug ditches. When he and his mother entered Auschwitz, he did more work, but his mother died a week later. Throughout the war, he was transferred to different concentration camps. Because he was young, he was able to work and, therefore, remained alive. He was given two slices of bread, a little bit of soup, and chicory coffee. Most of his work was repairing railroads. He tried to make friends in the camp, but as time went on, it was hard to concentrate on anything but starvation. Wolnerman considered himself lucky because he went into the camps as a young person, and he knew to mind the guards in the camp so that he would not get beat up. [Annotator’s Note: Interviewee calls for someone at 0:11:35.000.] He fell sick and was put in a hospital. Once, the kid laying next to him in his bunk was dead for eight days.

After some time in Auschwitz [Annotator's Note: Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp complex in German occupied Oswiecim, Poland], David Wolnerman was transferred to Dachau [Annotator's Note: Dachau concentration camp complex near Dachau, Germany]. He feels lucky to have been transferred to Dachau because the camp was later liberated by General Eisenhower [Annotator's Note: General of the Army Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower, Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force; 34th President of the United States] and American troops in April 1945. A captain gave Wolnerman a Jewish necklace which he has kept since. He was transferred to a Catholic convent where nuns nurtured him back to health. Wolnerman has a strong sense of faith, and feels that he would not have survived the Holocaust [Annotator's Note: also called the Shoah; the genocide of European Jews during World War 2] without it. He believes everyone should have some sort of faith. He met his wife in a DP [Annotator’s Note: displaced persons] camp and got married six months before they immigrated to America.

After liberation from Dachau [Annotator's Note: Dachau concentration camp complex near Dachau, Germany], David Wolnerman was placed in a DP [Annotator’s Note: displaced persons] camp where he met his future wife. He decided not to return to his hometown [Annotator’s Note: a small village called Modzurow, Poland] because everyone he knew was gone. He also did not feel welcome in his hometown. There was only one boy that risked his own life to help him when he was in need. Later, after the war, Wolnerman learned that the boy had become a lawyer. Wolnerman applied to immigrate to Israel and America, and after five years living in Munich, Germany, he received approval through the Jewish Federation to enter the country. He chose America because he thought he would have better opportunities and be more accepted. While he lived in Germany, the Germans treated him well because they had lost the war. When he immigrated to America, he and his wife, also a Holocaust [Annotator's Note: also called the Shoah; the genocide of European Jews during World War 2] survivor, went to Cleveland [Annotator’s Note: Cleveland, Ohio]. [Annotator’s Note: There is noise in the background at 0:40:07.000.] Wolnerman was able to make a lot of money after the war through the black market. He believes America is the best country in the world because he came from having nothing, and with little education, was able to prosper in the country. His two sons were also able to prosper in America.

David Wolnerman began to speak about his experiences of the Holocaust [Annotator's Note: also called the Shoah; the genocide of European Jews during World War 2] only when he was older. He spoke to children at schools and people in churches. It was very difficult at first because his English was not good. He does not think much about Holocaust deniers. His faith got him through the Holocaust, which was difficult because all he thought about was food. Some of the inmates ate human flesh and drank urine because they were so starving and thirsty. Wolnerman did not take a shower for five years while he was in the concentration camps. He believes that people need to remember the events of the Holocaust to prevent something like it happening again.

David Wolnerman believes that America does not have many thoughts about the Holocaust [Annotator's Note: also called the Shoah; the genocide of European Jews during World War 2]. He went back to Auschwitz [Annotator's Note: Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp complex in German occupied Oswiecim, Poland] with his wife and friends after the war. While he was in the concentration camp, he worked in the crematorium. One of the men he was working with had to push his parents into the ovens. After liberation [Annotator’s Note: from Dachau concentration camp in April 1945], he burned his uniform and felt like a free man. When he came to America, he owned a grocery store and worked every day until he retired and sold it for health reasons. [Annotator’s Note: Phone rings at 1:00:00.000.]