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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.