Dr. Alexander White
Here in Phoenix, we have a connection to the Schindlers through a resident that survived the holocaust because he was one of the 1200 people that were on Schindler’s list. His story and memories of the Oskar and Emilie Schindler follow.
Holocaust Survivor - Dr. Alexander White
Dr. Alex Bialywos White is a retired physician who lives here in Phoenix with his wife, Inez. Dr. White, aided by several Jewish agencies, studied medicine in Munich before emigrating to America in 1950. However, Dr. White’s story begins not here in the comfort of America, but in a time and place that not many remember anymore.
Alex White was born in Krosno, Poland in 1923. In 1939, tranquil life in that medieval city came to an end when Nazi forces conquered Poland and occupied Krosno. As the troops from Germany marched across Poland, families started to pack their belongings and flee the cities. Among them was the White family, who found temporary shelter in a small city named Dynow. Mass arrests were conducted, and no one was safe, especially men and boys between 16 and 60. Two things drove these arrests; some men were apprehended to be workers at various labor camps and factories, others were murdered for no other reason than being Jewish. At the time of the round up Alex’s father was not in Dynow as he returned to Krosno to retrieve their belongings. Alex was saved because his mother convinced the SS that he was 14 and not 16.
Alex’s family was interned in the Krosno ghetto and endured two years inhumane living conditionsand random shootings. On December 4, 1942, the ghetto was liquidated. Although most people in the ghetto were sent to Belzec to be gassed, Alex’s mother and sister were taken to the forest and killed. Alex and his father were taken to the Krosno military airbase to be used as forced labor. In January 1944, he and his father were sent to Krakow-Plaszow concentration camp. In May of 1944, his father was sent to the gas chamber. This left Alex the sole survivor of his family.
“...Moments later, in complete clarity about his fate, he would be led off to the box cars of the train that was to take him, and others selected by the Nazi doctor, to Auschwitz. There he would be murdered in the gas chambers. I tried to give him the only thing I had — a small piece of bread I carried with me — as an expression of hope for his survival, even in Auschwitz. He said, ‘You keep it. I will not need it anymore. I do not care to live. I have lost everything, and if I live another ten years, I will eat another ton of potatoes.’ He pushed the bread back to me. It was the last time I saw him.”
On October 15, 1944 Alex was put on a transport, with the workers from Schindler’s Emalia factory, heading to Brunnlitz. To this day Alex does not know how his name got on Schindler’s list. Some of the people he knew attributed it to good luck, but he assumes that it was because the factory needed workers with special skills, and he was a painter-glazier. He says that those being transferred to Brunnlitz were first transported to Gross-Rosen, a camp in Silesia, Germany. Only there for a few days, Alex considers these as his worst days, second only to the days he lost his family.
“I never knew about a Schindler until I got to Krakow,” said White. “I was very glad to be in that group. I had no idea there was a list.”
According to both Alex’s memories and what has been written, Oskar Schindler was not involved with the day-to-day operations of his factories, nor with the people who he employed. What Alex does remember is that Oskar Schindler would periodically come in and ask the people working how they were. This personal touch meant a lot and are still remembered decades later. What is also remembered is Schindler’s farewell address to his workers and how extraordinarily moving it was. The speech was given on May 8, 1945, right before the Schindlers left Brunnlitz ahead of the Russian troops.
In Brunnlitz, most of his contact was with Emilie Schindler, as she was involved with the care of the people in the factory. He speaks of a time when she arranged for him to have a tooth extracted and then made soup for him while he recuperated. He also remembers that she provided the prisoners not only with the customary one meal day, but also provided breakfast. He remembers the story of how she approached the owner of the mill and acquired flour and then over saw the baking of bread for them. And lastly, how she traded on the black market to be able to make soup for them. These are kindnesses he remembers to this day.
He also remembers meeting with Emilie Schindler in New Jersey. He was not sure he was going to go, but in the end, he was happy that he went. a While with her, someone asked about why Oskar did what he did. Her answer was that he became a “mensch” and he always had the drive to help people. When asked why she did it, she answered, “very simply humanity. Isn’t what is expected of everybody”.
On This Fateful Day in 1942…: Making an Emotional Connection to the Holocaust
Source: AZJHS
Additional sources: https://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/alexander-bialywlos-white-a-true-mensch-tzadik-wcz/, https://www.12news.com/article/news/history/holocaust-survivors-get-help-with-covid-19-vaccine/75-89c7dfe2-d064-4195-a24a-6fd650723c4
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We Remember: The Righteous
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Schindler & White
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Dr. Alexander White, author of Be a Mensch: A Father’s Legacy
Source: You Tube - WSUTV
Be A Mensch: Holocaust Memoirs
Alexander B. White, M.D.
Summary: Holocaust memoirs of a survivor saved by Schindler. Dr. White was 14 when the German invaded Poland and began their reign of terror. His father's last words as they were taking him to the gas chambers were to be a Mensch, which is Yiddish for "a special, ideal human being: a person endowed with the finest attributes by Our Creator, including charity, kindness, tolerance, honesty and love of mankind." This is his memoir of trying to do that. He immigrated to Chicago after the War ended and became a successful doctor and medical school professor.
Dr. Alexander White