Luba Elbaum - January 20, 1982
Life Under German Occupation
What was your--what did your family do?
My family was home. My family was not too--because my all brothers and sisters were small. I was oldest--only seventeen. So my brother was like, I mean, say, fifteen. Like one was thirteen, one was twelve, so. My all cousins went in the war. We hear one day everybody have to go to the--in the army, so...
Did you stay in Lublin when the war started?
Yeah, I couldn't go no place.
You couldn't go back with your folks.
No, I couldn't go no place. And then where my folks live was a smaller town and we were afraid to go already this time. Because when the German came in they were just looking for girls...
What did your uncle...
...and they just came in, when the German came in I remember like this--they came in, it was uh, I think Sukkot was already--that's what I, I think they came in the first day of Sukkot. They came in right away--all the men they took out from the houses and they put them downtown and they put for the security.
They put what up for security?
The men. They came into the houses and took out the men.
Took out the men.
The men for security.
And what did they do? Are you talking about all the Jewish, or, or...
The Jewish...
...the Polish too?
...most Jewish. Polish I don't remember. Most Jewish.
Most Jewish men they took out...
The Polish. But then--but I think when they came into Lublin, they all took out from the houses. But the third day they start the Polish going, I think, home. And the Jewish most of the holding there for security. That's where they start. And then from a few days, I remember--I think--I remember a lot, a lot go home. And then when they came in right away they were looking like, I mean--most young girls are taken out right away to take out later maybe when they came in for good. And then maybe took--I don't remember--then took I think a month. When they were in Lublin, took I think a month. And there one just good ???. They tried to go in and to be like ???. Like, I mean, to go ??? and they start to have like, I mean, place where they used to live. They leave us alone maybe for a month.
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