Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Eugene Feldman - July 15, 1991

Rumors of the Camps

In all this time, had you ever heard of what was going on in the death camps? Any rumors about?

I heard about 'em already. You know, from other people. But I personally was never in a camp. I couldn't picture a camp.

But you didn't hear any rumors from, during the...

Oh no, no, no, no, no. I never knew that camps existed. I knew a ghetto. I heard about another ghetto that, I think they had a, a--Pinsk, which is not far. There was a ghetto there. But a ghetto, it was bearable, supposedly, you know. As little as I know about, about the ghettos. But after I heard what was happening in the concentration camps, I said, eh, I was lucky, I was the lucky one to, not to... I never saw a German. I didn't see the Germans.

When did you hear about it?

Not 'til I got to Ge...eh, to the camps in Germany.

And who told you?

Well, we were in camps with a lot of people that were in the concentration camps.

Do you remember any specific person who told you some of the stories?

No.

What your reactions were?

It was kinda hard to believe, but after awhile you see more than one. If one tells you, you don't. Then after awhile you just have to believe it. I knew that the Germans were killing, so what--you know, why not accept that that they would burn, burn you in an, in an oven you know. Which, after, after the war, of course, when I lived in Germany I had to go down and see it. So I saw it myself.


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