Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Erna Blitzer Gorman - July 12, 1989

There would be shots?

Yes, right. We would run down there, I'm sorry if I um- You know that my uncle at least I have to, because he was never, he was not in the cavity. He would stay top side and he would close in the cavity and I don't know if he put a piece of furniture over it or something and you could hear shooting and you could hear, then people would walk like uh, top and you could hear the sound of the boots and the sound of um, (sigh) you know they must have had rifles that they were because. You know this happened this cavity episode -- I'm so nervous -- happened several times because once I feel that I could hear wherever the soldier was um, hitting with his rifle it sounded to me like it was hollow, that he knew it was hollow. I had that sense I mean this may be strictly my imagination but wherever he was pounding I think that he must have felt that was a hollow [nizeret?] because everything else must have been solid and I always had that feeling that this particular person knew that there was a cavity there and never gave it away. I don't know why but I did have that sense. So after awhile, I don't know how long we would stay there, the first time when we came out and um, the uncle did let us out.

What was his name, your uncle? Do you remember your uncle's name?

Only by this name, its terrible, I feel badly, I've thought about this but it makes me feel very bad but I don't remember, there's no one to tell me from all these aunts and these the names of all these people. At any rate, um, he would let us out and again I remember people lying dead as you came from the room or the building, people lying dead. And I remember once um, we were all, well I was away but there were people standing around these dead people and I can just see um, like they were so silent. You know, they were not saying much. They were not saying anything and like being stunned. One time I remember somebody wanted to come into that cavity with us, somebody different and I know that they were not allowed in because there was no room or whatever the reason and I remember seeing them dead afterwards upstairs. But I didn't hear any gun shot wounds with those people, I mean any gun shots that I heard that they were shot. I don't remember.

Do you know these people? Were they family?

No, they were not family. They were not family. You know, um, I guess we wore stars, I don't see myself with a star, and I don't see, my sister told me that afterwards that we did wear stars. I didn't remember the part that my father's head was shaven, but after she told me, after she told me, I do see him with a shaven head.