Helen Jutkevicz - November 10, 1982
Family Life Before the War
Uh, did you have a large family?
Yes, we were six children.
Six children. How many brothers and how many sisters?
Three and three.
Three and three?
Yes.
Uh, mother, father--your father's occupation?
My father was--I don't know how is to say. I ??? I don't know what--how is to say in Ger...in, in English.
What type of work did he do?
He made a piece to, to street cars something--a light, something. I don't know how is you say.
Did you have a large extended family? Other relatives living in that city?
Yes, yeah.
Grandparents?
No, not grandparents.
No?
No...
About how many?
...just families.
About how many relatives would you sa...you imagine lived in, in Łódź?
Oh, I don't know, I don't know. I--it's a big family because it were from the father's and from the mother's side, you know? This was a very big family.
Try to describe your household for me. What was your home like?
My home--we lived in two rooms, very nice for me. And we had a house--this was our relatives houses--a building all of them ???. So we had--live in this uh, house and it was nice. See, to me it like it how was in Poland. Łódź was a very nice city.
Did you live in a community where there were a lot of Jewish people?
Yes. It's not was too much but it was more a Christian neighbors. And then, not long the war start, it start to be a bigger Jewish community. You know, more moved in Jews. Mostly--it was not so much but it was more a Christian neighbor.
Did you attend school?
Oh, yes.
A public school?
Yes. I finished the school, too.
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