2023 First Person Series: Nat Shaffir

Five-year-old Nat Shaffir stood in shock as the local priest his family had known for years led Romanian soldiers to their doorstep in November 1942. The priest pointed to the family and made plain his betrayal: “These are Jews.”

The soldiers gave Nat's family four hours to load a few belongings into a wagon, before forcing them to leave their farm and move to Iași—a city with strict anti-Jewish laws.

Watch to learn how young Nat managed to obtain extra bread and kerosene for his family and kept a solemn promise to his father to protect his mother and sisters.

Speaker
Nat Shaffir, Holocaust survivor and USHMM volunteer

Moderator
Bill Benson, Journalist and Host, First Person: Conversations with Holocaust Survivors

Watch live at youtube.com/ushmm. You do not need a YouTube account to view USHMM's program. After the live broadcast, the recording will be available to watch on demand on USHMM's YouTube page.

First Person is a monthly hour-long discussion with a Holocaust survivor and is made possible through generous support from the Louis Franklin Smith Foundation, with additional funding from the Arlene and Daniel Fisher Foundation.