Regina Cohen - April 18, 1982
Working at a Siemens Factory
Do you remember--excuse me--let's just stop before you go there. Do you remember what the building looked like that you worked in?
A long, long barrack. Uh, could have been part brick or mostly wood. Like uh, a barrack, like, you know, some of those pre-war camp barracks? It was just a long barrack.
What was your number in the camp?
Fifty-six two eighteen.
And that's the number you had when you, you were given when you...
That's one number I only remember. I don't know when exactly I got it--where exactly I got it. But that was a number that belonged to me.
How did you find out that you worked for a Siemens factory. After?
After. Uh, unless things were being said and I didn't connect or I didn't--paid no interest or no knowledge. You've gotta realize uh, my background didn't lend me my, my knowledge of another world somewhere or what kind of world. Knew nothing about what kind of factories exist in the world yet. Uh, somebody said Siemens, I remember.
Mm-hm.
And that's it. We--when we were completely bombed out, I mean totally, they evacuated us into--more like into the center of the city, because I remembered having to go--we went into the city a few times to bring bread from the bakery.
From Nuremberg, you mean.
Yes. Uh, then uh, they put us in, well, a huge building--must have been a school, or a university or some huge building. And this, this was only a stop-over place until they find a way to get us out from there to wherever they're taking us.
Did you ever see children with mothers being protected by the factory that you worked in, the Siemens factory?
No, there were no mothers with children. There was one lady and her daughter. The daughter was a couple years older than me.
Oh, I mean young children.
No.
Did you ever witness any cruel punishments? Were there SS in the factory working in...
Yes.
Were there civilians also working in the factory?
Uh, no.
No, only...
No civilians. Only us Jews and the SS. Of, any of the--like the woman that te...gave me that test whether it was, I don't know what you call that test. She was in uniform.
An aptitude test.
Aptitude test. She was in uniform...
Mm-hm.
...but they could have been working in uniform for the state, I don't--they were not just...
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