Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Peri Berki - December 9, 1983

The Star of David

Yeah, you're showing me the very yellow Star of David that you uh, received and had to wear, I think. And you kept this all these years. I'm sure this, this will be very important for your grandchildren to have. So you had to wear this on, on your coat?

Yeah, it was, wrote on, you see here some thread, it shows it was fixed on my coat. Everybody, all Jews, every Jewish people. Jews already marching on the ???. I couldn't believe it. A few days later we went and there were placards already on the street and Jewish people have to affix the six star, which I guess, I'm sorry, I said this before. And uh, we had to go down, we paste it on and we had to go down and do some shopping. And we were very hesitant, who would be the first person to go out, out on the street with this yellow star. So I volunteered and I went out and wanted to bring milk. And in Hungary you have to take your own bottle. They didn't have the surplus what you have here. And I remember, I was, was standing in line there was, there was shortage already, and the man, and the woman in the store saw me, she knew I, I was Jewish. Somehow Gentile people have that sixth instinct to find out who is Jewish, who is not.

But she saw your star, didn't she?

That's right. And that's... You see how confused I am?

That's not confusing.

And I was standing in line and just without knowing, I put my bottle on the counter. And she passed me, “Put your dirty bottle off of my counter.” And she left me wait until everybody was served. She let me... But on the street we didn't encounter any difficulties. We were afraid that people would laugh or tease or something. Ev... No, everybody rode as if we didn't have the star on, which was very surprising.


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