Joseph Szwarcberg

Joseph Szwarcberg was born in 1930, in Kozienice, Poland. A Jewish man, he came to Australia as a boy, after having survived the Holocaust. His sisters later joined him.  He was liberated from Buchenwald and is a member of the Buchenwald Boys – a group of men who remain connected in Australia long after their liberation.

His statelessness affected his ability to travel – Joseph could not travel until he eventually got his passport – but in his early years in Australia, “As I tell you, I came here seventeen and a half years old. I was looking hard to make a living and to meet girls and go dancing. That's all I was concerned about.”

Joseph Szwarcberg was interviewed for the National Library of Australia oral history collection. His interview and transcript can be access through their website.