David Tuck

You can download and easily print David's biography here (pdf)

David Tuck was born in Zdunska Wola, Poland. His Orthodox Jewish grandparents raised him, insisting that he receive both a public and Hebrew education.
In September 1939, when David was about 15 years old, Germany invaded Poland. By November he was forced to wear an armband with the Star of David. He had to step off the sidewalk and into the street when German officers approached him. Even the music changed from Polish to “Deutschland Über Alles,” “Germany Overall.” In April 1940 David’s family was deported to the Lodz ghetto where he spoke German well enough that he was able to obtain a ration card for his family that provided them with coffee, bread, and soup. Then in the January of 1941, David was deported to Posen, a labor camp.
In September 1943 the Nazis liquidated the labor camp and sent David, with other skilled workers, to Auschwitz-Birkenau where he worked as a mechanic.
In January 1945, ahead of the invading Russian army, David was sent to Mauthausen-Gusen, a work factory building German aircraft. In early May 1945, the American army liberated him along with other starving prisoners; he weighed 78 pounds. David then spent the next several months recuperating in Red Cross camps and eventually immigrated to the United States. The number tattooed on his arm is a constant reminder of his duty to tell his testimony.