2023 First Person with Holocaust Survivor Nat Shaffir

Five-year-old Nat Shaffir stood in shock as the local priest his family had known for years led Romanian soldiers to their doorstep in November 1942. The priest pointed to the family and made plain his betrayal: “These are Jews.” The soldiers gave Nat's family four hours to load a few belongings into a wagon, before forcing them to leave their farm and move to Iași—a city with strict anti-Jewish laws.

Watch to learn how young Nat managed to obtain extra bread and kerosene for his family and kept a solemn promise to his father to protect his mother and sisters.

Hear Holocaust survivor Nat Shaffir’s experiences in his own words recorded on August 16, 2023. First Person is a monthly, hour-long discussion with a Holocaust survivor that is made possible through generous support from the Louis Franklin Smith Foundation.