USHMM | 2025 First Person Series: Josie Traum

“I was screaming and crying … I didn’t want to go,” remembers Holocaust survivor Josie Traum about the day strangers came to her family’s apartment and took her away. In 1942, as authorities began rounding up Jewish men, women, and children in Nazi-occupied Belgium, Josie’s mother knew she had to act quickly. She entrusted strangers in the resistance movement with taking three-year-old Josie to a secret location and keeping her safe. She didn’t know if this painful choice was the right one or if she’d ever see her only child again. Watch to learn what happened next, and discover if Josie and her mother ever reunited after their tearful goodbye.

Speaker
Josie Traum, Holocaust Survivor and Museum Volunteer

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

Watch live at youtube.com/ushmm . You don’t need a YouTube account to view our program. After the live broadcast, the recording will be available to watch on demand on the Museum's YouTube page .

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