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Jack Gun - August 12, 1999

He ran away.

He ran away, he was a single fella, he was uh, maybe eighteen, nineteen. He ran away. But there was many more that ran away. There was some even-I know of some couples you know, that just got married. They ran away. But people that had large families uh, children and parents. Uh, they didn't want to leave them. So, whatever Jews remained, they started, they put-took us into the center of town and marched us into the ghetto. They took a part of the city uh, naturally the poorest part of the city, with the worst housing.

Did it have a name, the neighborhood?

Uh, they used to call it off...On the Hill. In Jewish, Offen Bog.

Offen...

Bog.

Right.

And that's where it was the, most of the poorest part of Rozhishche Jewish people lived. So, they took us over there. We marched like a bunch of sheep. Uh, I, myself, I, I remember, I remember that I was holding a pillow or something that my mother gave me. Uh, my brother tells me that I asked, that I asked how come my next door neighbor of mine, which was Christian, didn't come, that I used to play with. And uh, the only answer they could tell me was that he wasn't Jewish, which didn't mean too much to a seven year old. Uh, they put us all into-they designated certain houses uh, little houses for so many families. There were three rooms, they put in three families.

So you-five of you were in one room.

One room.

Bathroom?

Outside.

Running water?

Outside.

Medicine?

Medicine, none.

What did you take with you?

I, I told you what I took with me, a pillow. My parents...

Family...

I don't know what they took with them.

So you marched through the street. Do, do you remember anybody lining the streets? You know, there's a scene in Schindler's List where the...

Uh-huh.

Jews are marching...

Yes.

through the streets...

Yes.

with all these people.

Yes.

Was it like that?

Yes. The people were standing around. Most of them, I'm sure, were very happy to see us. Uh,

Was there any harassment?

Not that I recall.

So, not even name calling.

Could have been. I'm sure there was. But I uh, I don't remember. I'm sure there was.