Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Rose Green - May 21, 2008

Did it occur to you to go to Palestine?

During that?

Yeah.

I tell you, my husband had brought us here and they were pump...bombing him to come to America, to come to America, to come to America. And uh, I was weak, you know, it uh, camp didn't leave me without, without, without uh, problems. I have lots of problems and uh, I didn't feel like taking up a life in, in some kind of--if I would have to I would have done it, but they begged us to come, to come, to come, so we came. It's okay. It was all right. I was sorry that I didn't go to Israel because my brother and my sisters were there. But then my husband's all the family was here too. So for ten days--for ten years I didn't see my, my people. We just corresponded. And now I--we talk everyday--every morning before ten o'clock, I call my sister, sometimes she calls me. And it's just a--not a long talk, just, "How are you?" And they came visiting a few times. My brother was here many times and uh, my sister was here. She was here--before my sister died she came to see her. She--my brother died--when was? Three years--two years ago, he died.

When did you have Peter?

Peter was seventeen months born later, seventeen months uh, later. He was uh...

So where was he born?

Uh, he was in Czechoslovakia. He was one and a half years old when we came here. Ivan was three years old.

What made you come to Detroit?

Because my husband's brothers were here.

They were in Detroit already?

Yeah, so...

And what was that like to arrive in a new place?

It was hard because I didn't speak English, you know. I, I, I got accustomed very, very fast, you know.

And your husband went into business?

Uh, first he worked for his fa...for his brother, for his brother at a supermarket and then he had his own. My husband got his own supermarket, so it was good, it was good.

And where did you live in Detroit?

Uh, we lived uh, we lived--first we rented a, we rented a place for a couple years, and then we bought a little house, a nice little house. And then we bought a bigger house.

And where were they?

Uh, the last house we had in Birmingham. One was in Detroit uh, it was a very nice big house when the boys, you know, were older already. They went to school, so...

What was the neighborhood?

Uh, uh, St. Mary's, St. Mary's and uh, what's the name of it? Frustrate. It was a very nice, big house. It was a good house. St. Mary's and uh, close to uh, close to uh, Oak Park.

Oh, so northwest Detroit.

Yeah, that's right.