Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Clara Dan - July 1, 1982

So he's the one that knew that your brother was still alive?

Yes, he found out that my brother and one of his brother-in-law were in some kind of a jail or labor camp, and he went through different channels and bribery, he took--he was always a step late. And he could met to talk to my brother, he met my brother. I really didn't--wouldn't like to talk about it because I am not sure so I don't want to contradict his story with my story. I remember we were already in Germany and getting ready to come to wait and my sister was left in Romania because we went back together when we heard that my brother is alive, okay? And we begged my sister to come to Germany to immigrate with us. But my sister wrote that she couldn't do that because my brother when he left was taken into forced labor camp, left my mother home. Left his family home, wife, the little boy. He didn't even know his second child because my sister-in-law, may she rest in peace, was pregnant--I think in her seventh month with her second child. So she felt that it would just--he wouldn't be able to cope with the situation on being left alone. Coming home and not finding anybody. So that's why I'm not with my sister because she stayed home. And then she got married. And in the meantime my brother came back and uh, he remarried a second time and they went on to Israel. My brother lived in Israel when it was Palestine.

Mm-hm. Before '48.

Oh yes. He lived in Israel when uh, between '34 or '33 and '37.

How old when he came home?

And then he came home because my father was very sick and this was his only son. That's when my father died. When my brother came home he brought uh, little bags, they call it some kind of sand what religious people put on the hair. And my brother brought this ??? and put on my father's head. And uh, my brother remarried. And then my sister and brother-in-law with their daughter went out to Israel when the situation started really getting, when... They just had to get out because both of them were music teachers, my brother-in-law too while he lived. And they, they taught in school and privately. But uh, they situa... They wanted to force them in the communist party and they didn't want it. So things got real rough.

Mm-hm.

And they were able. Of course, they had to leave everything there. All they could take out, I think, no, I don't--I think they took out, they shipped out I think one of two of their Steinways, piano. But really nothing to talk about, the rest of them. And uh, my brother went out there. And uh, in the meantime I lost my brother and my sister lost her husband. That was the first thing when they got there.