Eleven-year-old Rae Goldfarb held her breath, hidden from view in a double wall, as neighbors looted her family home and bickered over who would take a pot or a spoon.

Months earlier, Rae’s life had changed dramatically, as the Nazis marched into her hometown in Poland. Then, after months of living in fear in the ghetto and eight days in hiding, Rae managed to avoid being killed in a massacre of Jews and escape.

Watch to learn how Rae and her mother spent the next two years on the run—outmaneuvering Nazis and eventually joining up with partisan resistance fighters in the forest.

Hear Holocaust survivor Rae Goldfarb’s experiences in her own words recorded on July 26, 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.