Lola Greenspan - April 25, 1983
Germans Invade the City
In the year later, 1940 in coming the Germans and I went by my brother--I visit my brother, and I went by my brother one week. And then I saw so many Germans come up to Sosnowiec--Będzin, this is Będzin. In my--in the middle the street is were um, you understand, you are Jewish, no? You understand Jewish? A Yiddish komitet--Jewish komitet--Jewish center. Later I went by my brother, I went afraid, I don't want to stay, I want to go back to my house--my mother. Later I see in Myszków the same coming so many Germans is coming to the synagogue--right at the front from the synagogues--was a small city--and call up the people, the people--the mens have to come up to the Jewish center just like a sign, and gonna send us to the work. The lot of Jewish mens got the bed, is afraid, my father got a small. And then the people took it--this everything they covered, the bed. And the Germans--young boys--Germans come in and taked out this and take a scissor and cut the bed in half. Then I went in the house and everyone was afraid and the children--the older children--my mother she got two sis...two sisters who are married and one brother were married. The older brother got one boy, and the one sister she got two, two girls and other one sister got the one girl. In this time in 1940 is coming the German see my house and he said--no my father wanted to take like a smaller sister from me--fourteen year old--and my father want to take my sister you wanna hire by Polish family. And she tooked--he tooked, my father, and left the daughter--my sister by a Polish family. Later is ca...is came in the police, in come the comman...commandant--the Jewish commandant for Me...for Sosnowiec, were Merin, Merin, Merin is the name I think so. You make--how you say ??? I forgetted. He um, he talked to the people on Appell--maked Appell to the people. "Every people Jewish has to go to the work. The German they don't do nothing--don't be afraid." Then the people is afraid not want to going. Then when the Germans--and my sister, the brothers, all these childrens said to my father "See every...have to go to Russia." My mother said "No. I have the house. I have a bed. I don't want to go some someplace later."
Mm-hm.
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