My Buchenwald Diary's file / תיק – יומן בוכנוולד שלי

These sources document the inspiring life path of Isaac (Leo) Kram, a Holocaust survivor born in Riga who was the only survivor of his extended family. The documents outline his youth and studies in Latvia, the The horrors of the Nazi occupation in the Riga ghetto and the Buchenwald camp, and the moments of liberation by the United States Army. After the war, Kram emigrated to New York, where he raised a family and developed an extensive career as a human resources manager, while continuing to invest In his academic education Even in old age. The collection includes Exciting personal testimoniesAlongside these, there are also documents, such as a diary he wrote in Hebrew and letters of thanks to Righteous Among the Nations Janis Lipka, who helped him. Official documents and photographs who serve as living historical testimony both to the suffering of the Jewish people and to their resilience and personal recovery. His professional completion at McKinsey and his personal success underscore the The victory of the spirit Over the heavy loss.

The story of Isaac (Leo) Kram It is an extraordinary testament to survival, perseverance and rebuilding after the Holocaust. Kram was born in Riga, Latvia, on April 4, 1921 (H66-2f, H66-3f). He grew up in a religious home and attended the "Evra" Hebrew Gymnasium in Riga, where he acquired a broad education in languages, history and science (H66-3f, H66-6f, H66-9f). Before the outbreak of war, he began studying civil engineering at the University of Latvia (H66-3f, H66-6f, H66-10f).

The Holocaust and survival in the camps

His life changed in the summer of 1941 with the German occupation. His father was arrested and murdered in Riga Central Prison shortly afterwards (H66-3f, H66-7f). In October 1941 the family was imprisoned inRiga Ghetto, and on November 29, 1941, his mother and younger sister were murdered in the Great Aktion (H66-3f, H66-7f). While working in the "Red Warehouses" for the Luftwaffe, he met Janis Lipka, Righteous Among the Nations, who offered him a place to hide. Yitzhak remained in hiding for several days but chose to return due to a feeling of insecurity among the other hiding people (H66-7f).

Kram endured a series of torments through many camps, including Stutthof, Sachsenhausen, andBuchenwald (H66-1f, H66-7f, H66-10f). He was employed as a laborer at the Zeitz-Brabag synthetic fuel factory, where his younger brother Simon was murdered (H66-3f, H66-7f). In April 1945, after a ten-day death march, he returned to Buchenwald, where he was liberated on April 11 by the United States Army (H66-1f, H66-3f, H66-4f, H66-5f).

New life in America

After the war, Kram met his wife, Rose, an Auschwitz survivor from Hungary, and they immigrated to New York in 1946 (H66-2f, H66-4f). Kram developed an impressive career as a human resources manager for the Barton's candy company, and after retirement he joined the international consulting firm McKinsey (H66-2f). At the age of 62, Cram completed his undergraduate studies at Queen's College (H66-2f, H66-8f).

Expansion of important sources

• H66-1f: A rare and moving document in Hebrew handwriting, which serves as a diary written by Karam immediately after liberation. In it, he describes the death march and includes excerpts from the prayer book, which attests to the importance of his faith even in the most difficult moments.
• H66-3f: This document forms the introduction to his diary, in which Kram provides a detailed biographical overview of his family and the bitter fate of his parents and siblings. It is the main source for understanding his family tree and the formative events in the Riga ghetto.
• H66-7f: A letter written by Kram in 1987 to Yannis Lipka. The letter reveals the special human bond between them and describes in detail Lipka's rescue attempt, while expressing deep appreciation for his heroism.

Key figures

Victims and survivors:

• Isaac (Leo) Kram: The subject of testimony, exploitation of the Riga ghetto and the concentration camps (H66-2f, H66-3f).
• Rose Kram: Isaac's wife, an Auschwitz survivor (H66-2f, H66-4f).
• Simon Kram: Yitzhak's younger brother, murdered in the Brabag camp (H66-3f, H66-7f).
• Isaac's parents and sister: Murdered by the Germans and their assistants in Latvia (H66-3f, H66-7f).
• Janis Lipka: A Latvian Righteous Among the Nations who saved dozens of Jews, including trying to save Yitzhak (H66-7f).

Nazis and collaborators:

• Latvian police officers (with green ribbons): They arrested Isaac's father in his house (H66-3f).
• Collaborators from the organizations "Perkonkrust" and "Aizsargs": Latvian Nazi aides mentioned as being despised by Lipka (H66-7f).
• Luftwaffe personnel: They ran the "red warehouses" where forced laborers were employed (H66-7f).

List of sources

• H66-1f : A personal diary in Hebrew handwriting describing the death march and liberation from Buchenwald.
• H66-2f : An article from an internal McKinsey magazine reviewing Leo Kram's life after the Holocaust.
• H66-3f : Introduction to the Buchenwald diary by Isaac Leo Kram, which includes family biographical details.
• H66-4f : A personal letter from Yitzhak Kram to Yitzhak Gal-Genkin, dealing with his past at Betar and in New York.
• H66-5f : Information pages from the website of the 120th US Army Hospital that liberated Buchenwald.
• H66-6f : Certificates from the State Archives of Latvia regarding the secondary and academic studies of Isaac Kram.
• H66-7f : A detailed letter of appreciation written by Yitzhak Kram to Righteous Among the Nations Janis Lipka.
• H66-8f : A Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree awarded to Isaac Leo Kram from Queen's College in 1983.
• H66-9f : Pages from a memory book for Hebrew education in Riga, including pictures of a class with Yitzhak Karam.
• H66-10f : Survivor photo and official identification card of Yitzhak Kram from the Buchenwald concentration camp.

 

H66-1f

H66-2f

H66-3f

H66-4f

H66-5f

H66-6f

H66-7f

H66-8f

H66-9f

H66-10f

 

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