Franka Charlupski - June 18, 1985
Thoughts on Survival
This has some effect on your life now. Um, we have a few minutes remaining, you want to tell me some of your thoughts about why you survived and, and what you feel about it now.
Why I survived, I don't know. I guess it was fate. Uh, I have a family now, I have two children, I have three grandchildren. I have a wonderful husband. My husband worked very hard but we are comfortable. I try and do as much charity as I can. I try to help others. I'm courteous. Uh, I feel I owe society something. I might not...I might be wrong. I feel that there must have been some kind of a miracle or some kind of a reasoning that I was left alive. This is my personal...This is the way I feel. And, by doing charity, I feel I'm repaying, I'm re...I'm being grateful for being alive, and having a wonderful family and naturally, the United States was my savior. We had the opportunity, we worked hard but, uh...I just love this country. You couldn't get me back to Poland for no money in the world. Not even to visit it. Never had the desire and I was born there, I grew up there, but I have memories that I don't want to...Unless my children will insist that they want to go and see it, I would sacrifice and go with them. But other than that I have no reason.
You feel it's important to talk about this?
Definitely. Uh, that's one part that I'm doing because I feel it's very important and the young people are very responsive. I've had some experiences, I've spoken to a Catholic all-girls school. I talked to some children at Wayne University, the response was tremendous. Uh, and very gratifying. I can't say I enjoy talking about it but it gives me a great satisfaction that I can make someone else aware of my experiences and the letters that I get prove that these children understand it better if they listen to a survivor than they see it in a movie or they read a history book. Matter of fact, I was told that. That it's no comparison between reading a history book or seeing it in the movies than hearing it out of the survivor's mouth.
I agree. Thank you very much.
You're welcome. It is hot in here. Holocaust Survivor Oral Histories FRANKA CHARLUPSKI June 18, 1985 Copyright c1985 by the Board of Regents, University of Michigan-Dearborn All rights reserved. No part of this transcript or videotape may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. ?? 1 FRANKA CHARLUPSKI Page 27 of 26 FRANKA CHARLUPSKI Page 28 of 26
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