Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Anne Eisenberg - May 11, 1982

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Well, about five or six months. What happened was me and my sister we became the cooks for the neighborhood men that were home already, until gradually the other women started to come home. When the other women started to come home then already they become--became families and they were doing their own cooking.

Where did you live?

And I became a bootlegger. I was trying a little to sell alcohol, mixed it with water and sold it to the Russians. [laughs]

You're a catcher. [laughs]

[laughs] Survival.

Survival, you're right. Where did you live when you were in your hometown?

In our house.

Oh, your house was still there?

Our house, our house was there. And uh, it's a funny thing like it used to be a very big house. So uh, before the war yet, the Russians lived in it, the Germans lived in it. And uh, before the Germans they took part of the house for the forced laborers, for men. And then the Hungarian soldiers were there and then the Germans were in our house. And after the war, the Russians lived in our house, so part of the house. And then part of it was still empty where we lived.

What made you decide to come to the United States?

My grandparents were in the United States. My father's parents.

In Detroit?

No. My father's parents were in New York. My husband's sister was in Detroit. He had a meat plant, a slaughterhou...no, a meat plant. And he offered him a job.

Where did you meet your husband?

In the DP camp.

When you were a nurse.

Yes.

And when did you get married?

I better watch my, my word. Forty-seven-'46! [laughs]

[laughs]

I'm telling you.

In the camp you got married?

In the camp.


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