Erna Blitzer Gorman - July 12, 1989
The Ukraine Before the German Occupation
This would have been before the war reached the Ukraine, were there German troops there then?
Well, that I don't remember, I remember right after that, very shortly after that, that there was a lot of fear. A great deal of fear. I'm just trying to give a few things that I remember because I remember one Friday night I just see in my mind my grandmother and the two sisters running about trying to straighten up because it was Friday night and I knew it was Friday night and because Grandfather was coming home from the synagogue. That kind of a feeling I have. But I remember having extreme fear in this household right after that and then I remember for a while we did not go out at all. Everything was totally silent in that room and I remember everybody all of us sort of huddled, I see in my mind only one room there was a bed on it but everybody sort of sitting round that bed and in extreme fear, extreme fear. From then on all I remember is just fear.
This was in Manastitza?
Monastyriska (Erna corrects the pronunciation) it's near Ukraine…somewhere.
So, east of Poland?
I cannot find it on the map, they must have changed the names.
Did you have playmates there?
No.
Your sister and you did not play?
No.
Before the fear?
I don't remember, no, I don't remember, I just remember playing with my grandfather, not with anyone else.
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