Wigoda, Ann

Ann Wigoda was born in Berlin, Germany on August 23, 1932.  Growing up in the 1930s, she was too young to understand many of the political changes, but as a child she does remember the increasing tensions, in the house and especially with the other children in the neighbourhood.  By the middle of the decade the situation deteriorated further, and her father went to Belgium, making arrangements for the family to follow.  The family adapted, but the hatred followed them, and with the start of the war once again life was precarious.  Her father was taken away, eventually dying in the final days of the war.  Ann’s mother was able to get Ann into hiding, and Ann spent most of the war in a convent, protected by the nuns.  With the end of the war Ann lived in an orphanage, run by the Tiefenbruner family, while her mother dealt with the emotional impacts of the Shoah and the loss of her husband.  Ann Wigoda came to us courtesy of the Azrieli Foundation.  She was interviewed at her home by Scott Masters and Savannah Yutman in July 2015.