Sami Djalilov was born on 10 March 1925 in Leninabad in the former Soviet Union (present-day Khujand, Tajikastan). He was drafted into the Red Army in 1943 and a member of the 319th Infantry Regiment of the Maritime Army. In September 1944 he was wounded and captured near the Czech border by the German Army. He was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp where he remained until January 1945 when he was sent on a death march as the Red Army approached. He was liberated by the United States Army in Brescia, Italy. Sami managed to keep his Red Army booklet with him during his entire Holocaust experience. After the war, he returned to Leninabad and became a school teacher. Sami is one of 16 Tajiks to survive Auschwitz and the death march. He is also the only Muslim in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Registry of Holocaust Survivors.
Sami Djalilov papers
The collection consists of a Red Army booklet issued to Sami Djalilov, originally of Leninabad in the former Soviet Union (present-day Khujand, Tajikastan). Sami kept the booklet with him throughout his Holocaust experience including his capture in 1944 near the Czech border, his transfer to the Auschwitz concentration camp, and a death march where he was liberated in Brescia, Italy. Also included is a 1946 photograph of Sami in Italy.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Copyright Holder: Mr. Sami Djalilov
folder 1