Michael A. Diamond papers

Copyright Holder: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum The papers consist of documents and photographs pertaining to Michael Diamond's experiences before, during, and after the Holocaust. The photographs mainly consist of images of Michael Diamond and his family and friends in Czechoslovakia before and after World War II; of his emigration to Israel with his wife, Ilse, after the war; and of his daughter, Naomi, as a baby. Michael Diamond was born Mikulas Diamant in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia), on July 10, 1919. In 1939, he was drafted in to the Czech Army, but when the Slovak state was created, the Slovaks forced Jews into army working camps. Michael and about 500 Jewish males were forced to clear snow off roads and highways. He was sent to Liptovský Mikulás, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia), where he repaired weapons and became a Slovak-German language interpreter. He was then transferred to Vrútky, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia), where he had to clean old uniforms. As an electrician, Michael was then sent to C̆emerné, in eastern Slovakia. He went into hiding in the forest but was soon captured by the Gestapo. He was transported to Sered, a "Sommerlager" in Slovakia. After attempting to escape from a transport train, the SS sent him to Sachsenshausen concentration camp. Michael was then transported to a number of concentration camps and factories, including Heinkelwerke (an airplane factory in Poland), Buchenwald (a concentration camp in Germany), Bergen-Belsen (a concentration camp in Germany), Neuengamme (a concentration camp in Germany), and Mauthausen (a concentration camp in Austria). He worked as an engineer and repaired railroad engines. Towards the end of World War II, he ended up in Württemberg, Germany. He was marched deeper into Germany as the Allied forces approached. He ended up hiding in a peasant's empty house in Germany until he was liberated by Soviet soldiers.