Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Mala Weintraub Dorfman - September 15, 2005

German Occupation

How did you get to Kozienice?

With the wagon, horse and buggy. We put the stuff under, on the, the thing, and I... We sat down on it, and he took, took, took us there, a Polack took us there.

What did you take with you?

The, you know uh, pillows and covers and some towels, whatever we could get on it. Not that much because it wasn't such a big uh, wagon.

And clothes, did you pile clothes on...

We did some clothes. We didn't have that much clothes, but we took the clothes with us, yeah. Whatever we had, we did, could take it.

Did anybody think that it was going to lead to the Holocaust?

No, no, no, no. We just saw what they did, what I saw when they came in. But I didn't expect to be camps and, and uh, and uh, ovens and all that. No, I didn't.

What did you think about the Germans? What did they look like to you?

I saw 'em before. Didn't... They were just like you and I. They didn't look different. They just had the uniforms on, with the Hakenkreuz that's what was different.

So, you weren't terrified of them.

Yes, I was.

You were.

Oh yes.

And before they came in, was there, was there artillery? Did you hear guns going off or...

No...

...bombs, nothing.

...no, no really not.

So, Łódź wasn't bombed that you remember.

No, no, not really, no.

They just appeared.

That's it.


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