Cinecittà Story 2 – Tibor Stern
Tibor Stern’s time in the Cinecitta camp was marked by witnessing the deep trauma of fellow survivors—people crying under their blankets at night or lying still for days, staring at the ceiling. Known by the nickname “Tarzan,” even mail addressed to him by that name reached him. Born on April 16, 1925, in Oradea, Romania, Tibor’s early life was difficult. After his father passed away, his mother moved the family to Hungary but struggled to care for them, leading Tibor to live in a Jewish orphanage until 1942.
At 17, Tibor faced restrictive anti-Jewish laws in Nazi-allied Hungary. Attempting to escape to Palestine to join the British army, he was caught and imprisoned in Romania before being sent back and sentenced to hard labor in Hungary. Deported to Germany, he endured forced labor and the aftermath of the Dresden bombing. By May 1945, only 46 of the original 200 men in his group survived, and they were liberated by Russian troops. After six weeks of recovery, he walked to Budapest, where he discovered his brother had also survived.
He emigrated from Cinecittà to the United States in 1948. He brought with himself an engraved lighter. It was a gift from a Spanish acquittance and a memento of their stay in the Cinecittà camp.
Find out more about Timor via the USHMM archival collections.