Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Emerich Grinbaum - October 3, 2000 & January 8, 2001

What did you, what did you think? Did you think at all about, about your mother and the rest of your family at that point?

Okay, that's a good question. So going back. I told you about Auschwitz how they--we were departed.

Separated.

Separated. At that time, the old Häftlingen, Häftling was a, a prisoner.

Prisoner.

Hätfling, that's the common name. All the Polish and some other, French and all the--they told us that you, you cannot uh, expect the, the parents or children or, to, to be, be alive. But we you know, we didn't want to believe. We didn't want to believe, you know. We didn't want to believe, all the time we were, you know uh, we didn't want to believe this. But sooner or later we had to believe. But, the, the first several months we were very, very, very ambiguous about what might have happened with the other people. Later on, we saw uh, in the when in February-- March some uh, they came from other camps and ladies, women came also. So part of the camp become women--before that only men. A lot of women came. So we thought that maybe, we are always looking. Maybe I can find my mother or someone. Matter of fact--you wouldn't believe and that's not important--I f...found an aunt there.

That's important too.

I found an aunt. You know, because through the fence we're talking you know, "Who is this, who is this, you came from the city," you know, city-wise, in a different countries, different. So we found from--the, she uh, she was not from Munkacs but from Beregszasz which is another city close. And she came. And she was there, you know. And she was put also in that train and we were liberated at the same time. So after, after the--they took we, we got through all the, all the areas, we got home together with her, with the aunt. I didn't want to, to complicate the whole story.

Let me take you back for just a second. Um, a couple things--I didn't want to stop you. You said that when the, the uh, Americans come they gave out food and some people overindulged.

Especially overindulged uh, with the, with the package from the...

[interruption in interview]