A Holocaust survivor recalls the ‘cloud of horror’ she experienced when she found out her father had been murdered by the Nazis – and how she escaped with Auschwitz because it was ‘too full’ on the day she arrived
- Nelly Ben-Or spoke about the ‘cloud of horror’ she remembered from Auschwitz
- She almost avoided the concentration camp because it was full when she arrived
- The pianist, 88, described how she ‘escaped death’ in World War II
- Nelly and her mother survived the rest of the war hiding in an old pig
Holocaust panic and a Holocaust survivor have opened up about the ‘horrible cloud’ she received when she found out her father had been murdered by the Nazis.
Nelly Ben-Or, 88, grew up in occupied Poland and only fled Auschwitz because the concentration camp was ‘too full’ on the day she reached its gates.
Speaking to ITV News to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, Nelly, who teaches at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, explained that she had heard ‘horror stories’ about Auschwitz and experienced ‘total fear’ after for her to find out that that was where she was taking it.
Nelly Ben-Or, 88, (pictured) who avoided Auschwitz almost because it was full when she arrived, has talked about how she managed to ‘escape death’ in World War II.
Nelly, who was born in Poland, said Nelly had heard ‘horror stories’ about Auschwitz and experienced ‘total fear’ after finding out she had been taken to camp.
‘We were escaping death, literally every day and night,’ she said. ‘We were on a train going to Auschwitz but the word went through, they take us to Auschwitz.
‘When I heard this, I had heard such horrible stories about Auschwitz, I will never forget the real fear I had then. It was something that was absolutely horrible, full of physical fear. ‘
But Nelly reached the gates to tell them that the camp was too full to take more prisoners that day.
Accompanied by her mother Antonina Podhoretz, she managed to escape to a nearby village where they hid in an old pig sty.
Nelly spent the rest of the war in hiding and eventually made the trip to the UK.
But her father died at the hands of the Nazis at the Janowska concentration camp.
Nelly said: ‘I remember the terrible cloud, I lost my father – he was murdered in a horrible place by the Nazis. ‘
Nelly and her mother, Antonina Podhoretz, managed to keep the rest of the war alive by hiding in a small village and living in an old pig, but her father was brutally murdered by the Nazis.
But she never gave up her dream of becoming a pianist and has since been a professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she has taught piano since 1975.
Nelly learned much of her musical skill while hiding with her family in Nazi Warsaw, with her mother risking everything to allow Nelly to play the instrument. was scarce at the time.
The international concert pianist lives in London and was the first professional pianist to become a teacher in Alexander Technology, retraining postage and movement practices, in 1963.
She is now recognized as one of the leading experts on the method and regularly broadcasts piano recitals for the BBC.
Nelly, who often talks about her experiences during the Holocaust, was awarded an MBE last year for her services to Holocaust education.
She has written a book, Ashes to Light: A Holocaust Childhood to a Life in Music, about what happened during the war.