Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Helen Jutkevicz - November 10, 1982

Sharing Experience

Did you talk about your experiences when you came here--when you first came?

Oh yes, see me talking with neighbors and with the friends we talk, yes.

These neighbors or these friends that you talked to, how did they respond to the stories you were telling them about your war experiences.

They sympathize, what they can say? They sympathize. Uh, but I was listening some--I don't know if this is true or not they say some Americans they say some the first time they don't believe us what we was talking. I don't know. To me, I never was listening to somebody tell to me this is not true, you know. Hear from somebody what to tell you that, I don't know.

Do you have any idea about how many people from your community survived?

Łódź was a big place. You not know everyone so--it's a very big state, Łódź.

And to what do you feel you owe the fact that you survived?

This was just young and we can work, this was. And my experience at Bremen was hard working, you know, but it not was, how you say? Tortured--they not beat you, they not made us just what have to stand up in the morning and this, this is not sure what he has to do something to torture us, you know, this is just--like I told you if I have to be in Bergen-Belsen a week more I will not survive.


© Board of Regents University of Michigan-Dearborn