Olga Adler - July 26, 1982
Rumors and Conversion
Was this woman also restricted?
Yes, she was Jewish. Her husband was not Jewish, but she was Jewish.
And they...
I mean...
did they know it?
Oh yes.
And she wore a star too?
Oh yes.
Yeah.
Sure. She uh, and then later on, there were Jewish houses. You see, they designated some homes, some houses because they were apartment buildings. They had a private home up in the mountains, a beautiful private home but they lived in an apartment in the city at that time, so they stayed in the city. So, in a hall, in a five, six... in Europe you don't have such, I think the, the highest is six, you have to be all six uh, story high. Uh, so one wha... then, there was a, in let's say in every two or three blocks there was a house with a, with a yellow star on the, on the entrance and that was Jews lived there. You had to move out. If the house wasn't a Jewish house then we had to... So, where we lived it wasn't a Jewish house. So, we had to move into another, other house. And she had a friend who was a baroness. And she said to me... And that time all kind of rumors came. Rumors came if you are a house, a housemaid or employed in a household, a cleaning woman or something that, that, then you are not, then they are not going to take you into a concentration camp. So, she took me up to I don't know where to, that I should get a paper that I am employed by this and this baroness as a housemaid or something. So, she put me up and the gentleman was sitting in front of the desk and I go in and the lady comes in and tells her story what she wants me to be a housemaid and the man says, show me your hands. And I showed him my hands and he says throw the paper, take her out. She's not a maid. I didn't get the paper. Then it was if you are going to uh, uh, if you are going to convert, they are not going to take you. So, they took a, a, a priest, a lovely young man, a priest, came, I'm going to convert. I'm not going to convert in my mind, but I'm going to convert because this is my life. And I studied the conversion. One night I, I dream that my father says, Olga uh, that I'm telling my father I'm, I'm... I have to wait for a minute.
No problem.
Uh, so I'm telling my father that I'm going to convert. So, he says, don't. [ [crying] Oh, I'm so sorry.
No, please, don't be.
This is the only thing what makes me emotionally very upset. Whatever I went through it doesn't make any difference.
Take your time.
So, he says, don't convert. Uh, and promise me if you ever have a son. [crying] Okay.
No problem. Take your time.
[interruption in interview]
...as a Jew. Okay, let's finish with that. So, I didn't. And, uh...
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