Alec Muth Interview Notes

Introduction

• Interview between Alec Muth and Leah Zasulier on November 7, in Rochester, NY.

The Crematoria

• Description of a chimney depicting a crematoria.
• Entrance includes a solid stone granite table with sliding rails.
• Bodies were placed on these rails to be slid into the crematoria and burned.
• This crematoria is located at Flossenburg Concentration Camp, one of the surviving structures from that time.

Jewish Memorial

• A memorial commemorating the Martyrs in Concentration Camps, specifically in Flossenburg.
• Significance of honoring those who suffered during the Holocaust.

Insignia of the Unit

• An insignia representing the unit that entered and liberated the concentration camp.
• Indicates the military involvement and historical context of the liberation.

Mass Grave Sign

• Sign directing to a mass grave in the community where Muth lived.
• The victims were executed just days before the liberation.
• Emphasizes the urgency and tragedy of the events leading up to liberation.

Humanitarian Gesture During March

• Anecdote about a woman in Stam Street providing potatoes to prisoners during their march from Flossenburg.
• The risk she took when an SS guard threatened her with a gun for feeding prisoners.
• The woman stood up for humanity by pulling out a bible, signifying faith and solidarity with the prisoners.

Interview About Liberation

• The mayor of Stam Street was seven years old during the liberation.
• He bravely informed SS troops about approaching American forces, which led to their retreat.
• Emotional recollection of welcome and gratitude from the mayor to the survivors years later.

Description of Muth's Family

• Muth describes a photograph that includes his wife, Phyllis, daughter, Nancy, and sons, Andrew and Mitchell.
• Andrew became a Caltech doctorate graduate; Mitchell is pursuing a doctorate at Princeton.
• Nancy is studying for a master’s in health sciences.
• The picture was taken four years prior to the interview, marking a happier family moment.