Josef Lask

I am making this affidavit in connection with my application for compensation for damage to body and health.

Until the outbreak of the Second World War, I lived with my parents and siblings in Dobrin/Poland(1). I was a healthy, strong and cheerful boy. I can't remember ever having suffered from any illnesses, and my family enjoyed the best of health. My father was a respected businessman in Dobrin. He owned a large timber business and had several employees. My father also owned several plots of land and houses. I couldn't remember how much my father earned because I was a small boy and wasn't interested in these things. However, we lived in the best economic circumstances.

Note (1): Drobin/Poland

I travelled from Neustadt to the Auschwitz concentration camp. A true hell began for me here. At this point I was already emaciated to a skeleton and in a completely neglected state. I was separated from my parents and siblings here. I never saw them again. I also lived in constant fear of being sent to the gas chambers. In Auschwitz-Jaworzno I had to do tunnelling and road construction work. I was often brutally beaten and abused if I didn't do the work to the satisfaction of my tormentors.

Note: Auschwitz: presumably on 18 November 1942 to Plonsk, on 30 November 1942 to Auschwitz, see The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CAMPS AND GHETTOS, 1933-1945,VOLUME II, Ghettos in German-Occupied Eastern Europe, Part A, p.20

In West Germany, where I remained until my emigration to the USA, I also received medical treatment from UNRRA doctors. However, I can no longer remember their names and I would ask the International Red Cross to enquire about this.

I am also receiving medical treatment here in the USA.

I still suffer from various serious health problems as a result of the persecution. ... It is difficult for me to fall asleep at night and I am constantly startled by terrible dreams. Several times a week I suffer from migraine-like headaches, which are accompanied by dizziness. I can't enjoy anything and have no interest in anything new. I have great difficulty in dealing with other people. I have no energy or interest in anything. I am often very depressed and I burst into tears for no reason. I am then unable even to speak to anyone. This state often lasts for several days.

I am already willing to be examined by a medical officer of the German Consulate at any time.