Mark Lane was born in 1929 in eastern Czechoslovakia, in the village of Olenovo. In 1939, with the division of the country, the area was ceded to Hungary. The family began to struggle, dealing with the rising anti-Semitism and the restrictions that began to be imposed on their daily lives. In the spring of 1944, when Hungary came under direct fascist rule and Nazi occupation, he and his family were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where his mother, two brothers and sister were murdered. He remained in Birkenau until January 1945 when he was taken on a death march to Mauthausen and in Austria. He was finally liberated by the Americans in May 1945 from Günskirchen. Mark immigrated to Canada in 1951, where he began a new life with his wife Ruth, who also appears as part of this project in the Community Members section.
Both were interviewed by Scott Masters in July 2015.
Videos
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- 1. Mark Lane - Introduction and Prewar Memories.mp4
- 2. Following the News.mp4
- 3. Peace in Our Time.mp4
- 4. Anti-Semitism.mp4
- 5. Restrictions.mp4
- 6. The Fascist Takeover; Admiral Horthy.mp4
- 7. 1944- The Arrow Cross and the German Occupation.mp4
- 8. The Brick Factory.mp4
- 9. Neighbours; The Cattle Cars and Auschwitz.mp4
- 10. Inside Auschwitz Birkenau.mp4
- 11. Life in Birkenau.mp4
- 12. Eight Months.mp4
- 13. Survival and Resistance.mp4
- 14. Saying Goodbye to his Father; The Selections.mp4
- 15. Arthur Brown.mp4
- 16. Prayer and Faith.mp4
- 17. Winter 1944-45.mp4
- 18. Mauthausen.mp4
- 19. The Moment of Liberation.mp4
- 20. Hatred.mp4
- 21. Return to Munkacs; The DP Camps.mp4
- 22. Return to Munkacs; The DP Camps, Pt. 2; Conclusion.mp4
