Eugene Feldman - July 15, 1991
Soviet Annexation
In '39 when they came in was there any talk in your house about what was going on? Did you father and your mother talk to each other?
They didn't know anything. Unless, if they did they didn't talk to us. I don't know if they... Parents are different--those days were different in those day. I mean, you had to respect your parents. You can't ask 'em questions. You know, they just don't discuss it with you. The only thing we'd ever discuss is holiday, Jewish holidays. You know, things that has to do with religion. Anything else, it's not concern, they're not concerned with it.
Your father was very frum.
Very frum. Everybody there. Just--I, I think maybe one or two that wasn't. And they were the outcasts. Nobody you know, wow. I think one of 'em was driving on the Shabbos. I mean, they were ready to stone him.
And you hadn't heard of Nazis before.
No!
Or Hitler.
No. I--Hitler, Nazis, no way. I mean, we didn't have any history. In school they didn't teach you. In school they taught you Poland, Polish history. Pilsudski, and things like that you know. Calvary, Calvary, know. But not anything about a world.
Do you remember anything about Pilsudski that they taught you?
Nah. I just remember him a little bit in a--on picture on a horse. Something with a hat, square hat, that's all. They were not--I wasn't interested in them either. Like I says, I didn't care for the Polocks. I didn't care for the White Russians, I didn't care for the--I mean, if you are an outcast there, you're not gong to have uh, any respect for them. Nobody in the, wanted to go in this army, in the Russian Army or the Polish Army. They tried to get out as much as they could. Can't blame them. Why do you want to fight for somebody that hates you?
So, so it was um, it seemed to be a good thing that the Russians came in.
To us it was a good thing. As far as I'm concerned, it was good.
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