Auschwitz survivor Golden tells of nightmare
By Rick Obritschkewitsch
Of The Print
Diana Golden, a survivor
of the Nazi concentration camp
Auschwitz in Poland, visited
campus last Wednesday to tell
of her World War II ordeal for
Dr. Donald Epstein’s class con
cerning the Holocaust. The last
part of April and the first part of
May is designated as the
Holocaust Remembrance time.
During the time of the Nazi
invasions, Golden lived in the
Island of Rhodes off of Italy,
where she was born. She said,
she said, of Italy’s alliance with
Hitler. To refute this, the
Italians showed the Russians
file numbers that had been in
graved oh their arms while in
the camps.
“To this day I wonder how
they were able to inflict such
pain on people,” Golden said.
In being shipped to Auschwitz,
the prisoners were put into box
cars with up to 95 people per
car. Then, the occupants were
only allowed to urinate and
deficate once a day.
When they were put on a
ship to continue their journey ,
“To this day I wonder how they were able
to inflict such pain on people.”
Golden later felt, “he was very
fortunate to have died when he
did, so that he didn’t have to go
through even worse pain.”
Golden was immediately
separated from her mother and
a few aunts and uncles upon
entering the camp and never
saw them again. She was,
however, allowed to stay with
her two sisters.
The daily routine for
Golden during her eight month
stay in the camp consisted of
being inspected in the nude by
a doctor who would determine
who was fit to work. Those
who were not fit were sent to
the gas chambers.
In terms of clothing,
female prisoners were issued
one dress, and “if you were
lucky, we were given clogs to
wear on our feet,” Golden
said.
Golden was later transfer
red to another camp where
discipline wasn’t quite as harsh.
“I am grateful to be
in this country—the
country of hope.”
Golden is. now living in
Vancouver, Washington with
her husband. “I am grateful to
“If we were good and obeyed,
we were issued panties,” she
said.
be in this country-the country
of hope,” she said.
In his introductory
Prisoners were allowed to
shower about once a month, remarks, Epstein said, “The
but they had to wait three mon
Holocaust will go down with
ths before they could brush
the Book of Ester from the Bi
their teeth. “After three months ble”
without brushing, our gums
were like bubble gum,” Golden
said.
“Everything was fine until the they were issued one can per
Second World War started.” At compartment to use for bodily
that time it-was not immediate functions. They could empty it
ly that “we were suppressed by only once a day.
deeds, but by thè press,”
The feeding procedure
Golden said.
was to allow one person per
But the situation was only family to come up and get one
to get worse for Golden’s fami slice of bread for their entire
ly. The family would later be family, regardless of size. This
separated; the majority of was done at the same time they
which would die. There were were to empty the cans.
three survivors from Golden’s
Upon entering Auschwitz,
immediate family. They were
one of few families with that Golden recalled the first word
she learned in the German
many survivors.
Still, it was not the end of language was the number she
the ordeal for the trio when the was issued in replace of her
Nazi concentration camps were name, and then engraved on
liberated. The Russians did not her arm.
want to let the Italian Jews
Golden’s father had died
return to their country, because on the way to the camp.
Candidate Kopetski
addresses ASG
By J. Dana Haynes
Of The Print
"I’m not just another
Democrat running for office,
I’m an Oregonian running for
office,” said Mike Kopetski, a
candidate for Congress, at last
week’s. Associated Student
Government meeting.
Kopetski, one of five
Democrats running for the
newly created fifth Congres
sional district, has had 14 years
of experience in the state and
federal level, but bas never
held an elected office.
Kopetski’« background in
cludes. administrative work on
the Oregon House Labor and
Education Committees. Na
tionally, he was an investigator
on the Watergate commission.
“Oregon is facing very dif
ficult times,” Kopetski said at
the Thursday meeting. “Our
qualified work, force is leaving
thé state to find work elsewhere
and our local government’s
budgets have been seriously
eroded. The reason is, people
aren’t working and paying in
come taxes. We have to correct
this,” he said.
Kopetski feel? that attrac
ting new business into the state
is highly important. One way to
Wednesday, May 12, 1982
accomplish this is’to maintain a
high level of education, he
said. “One thing that new
businesses look at is the quality
of the school systems. Educa
tion is the means by which we
can solve many, problems in
this nation.,’ \
The 33-year-old native
Oregonian cited several threats
to the educational systems of
the state, including a proposed
25 percent reduction in student
loan money in President
Reagan’s budget.
Kopetski has raised a
larger treasure chest for this
campaign than his four
Democratic opponents, he
said, but nearly as large as the
Republican candidate, Denny
Smith. Kopetski said that Smith
has raised more than
DIANA GOLDEN
Harlan takes campaign race
to student government meeting
Dale Harlan, a Democratic
candidate for the office of
Clackamas County Commis
sioner, spoke to the Associated
Student Government .two
weeks ago
Harlan served two terms
representing the county in the
Oregon House of Represen
tatives during the sixties. He
chose not to run for a third
$200,000. “I wouldn’t mind it term and devoted his time to
if Smith got his money from the his law practice. He has practic
timber industry; that would ed law in this county for 25
mean he’s been out supporting years.
Harlan feels that the coun
them. What bothers me is that
the money is mostly from the ty commissioners can help turn
the tide of voter apathy. “We
oil companies,” he said.
Kopetski has garnered the need a lot of citizen participa
endorsements
of
the tion,” he said. Harlan pointed
out that President Reagan was
Clackamas County Labor elected with only 26 percent of
Council, ;thW Steel Workers of' all eligible voters for him,
America arid the Hispanic; “.„and that Vtàs considered a
Political Action Coalition.
mandate!” Harlan said.
centimeters
Staff Photo by Duane Hiersche
“The greatest need in
Clackamas County govern
ment is to establish a well-
informed, concerned, and
decisive Board of County
Commissioners,” Harlan said.
“Distrust, bickering and pet
tiness only detract from getting
the job done.”
Harlan feels that the in
cumbent, Democrat Stan
Skoko, has contributed to the
bickering in the Board. He also
claims Skoko chooses not to
participate in Housing Authori
ty matters, he is opposed or
refuses to participate in actions
involving the Development
Agency, opposes human
resource programs and “often
votes ‘absent,’ abstains, oj casts
the only ‘no’ vote \yithdui ex
planation,” he said. “An
elected official has an obliga
tion to make his views known
in public and to vote on the
issues fairly and honestly.”
There are six Democrats
running for the office. At the
Thursday ASG meeting,
Harlan said that some of the
Democratic candidates may
have to drop out to consolidate
votes and remove the incum
bent. When asked if he would
be willing to remove himself
from the race, in order to
enhance another candidate,
Harlan said, “Yes, I suppose I
would. However, I -feel I’m
number two or three, if not
number one, in the race right
now.”
Harlan has garnered the
support of the Central Labor
Council^ Oregon , Education
Association and the Veterans
of Foreign Wars.
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