Ella Baker - May 11, 2011
The Russians
Yeah. Okay so, you're there in the factory, how long were you there and...
There I, I was uh, then they took us to the death march.
Oy.
You know, a way because there, there, the uh, Russians was...
Uh-huh.
Was uh, getting close and we were walking, walking and walking and what do you know, what bashert?
Huh.
Out of the hundreds of us they took twenty of us and I was 1 of them, back, already on a, on a wagon not walking anymore.
Oh.
They took us back because it was bombarded and needed somebody to clean up.
Uh-huh.
So I was 1 of them, then I was uh, liberated right there by the Russians and the hell broke loose right with them too.
Really.
Yeah, yeah it was uh, that was a, a, another, another experience.
The Russians were bad?
Yeah, very bad and then, speaking of the Czechs, how they were organized for us. So, they were, the, the Russians are terrible. They came in, we moved into normal houses, of course. And they were taking our food away and, and, and everything it was terrible, terrible time. So we got together and I says lets walk, get out and walk back home...
Mm-hm.
To Cze...Czechoslovakia. As we are walking, that's to here is another positive story uh, of the, of the bigger story.
Mm-hm.
Uh, there come a covered wagon with horses and stopped on the road. The Czechs were organized and had organized ride into that was Poland, I think, into, into Poland to meet just people like us.
Really?
And they were organized on farms with food, with overnight, with covers. And next day another horse and buggy comes...
Wow.
And they took us all away home to, to Prague.
Wow.
And in Prague then the, the, the uh, citizens, the residents of Prague waiting on a, on a uh, bridges and welcoming.
Really!
And through the radio the Czechs were saying that's why we went out, cheered them come home everything is waiting for you. They were underground organized. And this 1, that this is a beautiful, beautiful history of the Czech people.
Awesome.
Yes, and up to date visitors by the tourist department...
Mm-hm.
They make sure that they take them to the Jewish section, there is a long history...
Mm-hm.
Of Jewish settlers, the bigger ones actually that traveled thinks, had a, had a program, had a things on it. So they make it sure that there, there visitors, the tourists know about it, the Jewish history and contributions.
Beautiful, beautiful.
So I have very good, if not the communists I wouldn't be here today.
Mm-hm, mm-hm.
I was just running, you know, from 1 hell to another.
Yeah.
The uh, catching up with you and then Israel have uh, become a state in '48. And a few months later I was there. And uh, I really didn't plan on it.
No.
But, that was an, an, an opening and with lots of harassment on the, oh that was a terrible time we had there, because all the, all the Nazi people there become good communist to hide from their uh, crimes of being, of become, yeah become communist to hiding from the Nazi experience. And they over done everybody.
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