Erna Blitzer Gorman - April 26, 1984
Father's Family
Tell me the story then what happened, how you wound up in Poland.
Well, apparently we went to the wedding and uh, my father was a Polish citizens, my sister and I were uh, French citizen. But um, being that um, he uh, he uh, that he was a Polish citizen they wouldn't let us back out. That was I believe somewheres in 1939, maybe closer to 1940. Um, people were not really that enlightened yet with television and everything else, so.
Where was the wedding?
Uh, at, at my father's um, where my father was born. The name of the town is Wisnicze or something like that.
And that's near Katowice?
Well, I think it's not too far from Katowice, yeah, um...
Could... Tell me the story of uh, what happened then.
Well um, next I, I, I just briefly remember my grandfather and uh, um, is it really the only person in the house we were staying in uh, is all I remember. Um, do you want to know why I remember my grandfather? Not really.
Yes, sure, tell me about your grandfather. Tell me about what it was like there.
Well, um, he was a very um, I, I, all I see him is a, is a angry person, always losing his temper and yelling. And uh, everybody seemed to be afraid of him. And the only reason I remember him is because he uh, threw me against the wall once. And uh, that's why I remember. Anyhow, that's really not important.
And he had a house.
He had a very large house near a square. Um, and it was like one of those that there were apartments around in a court and it was... Apparently he was a very wealthy man. And um, he was sort of ruling the whole household.
Was he or, or your family uh, particularly religious?
I don't know how religious he was. My father was not um, but then my father left as a young man from that area, so, um... But I do... I don't know if he was.
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