Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Helen Jutkevicz - November 10, 1982

Did you experience any anti-Semitism before the war?

Oh, yes, of course, you know, is when it was that third of May--every May this was the demonstration from the--I not will tell you by anti-Semitic. By the first May it was for the workers--in May, you know like a Russian--like the first May--the May--the good men made the holiday and the third of May was the anti-Semitic in Poland.

Um, let's talk some more about your family. Um, can you describe what a Friday night was like for you?

Friday it was the--the mother would uh, light and this was Saturday. We--every child had to be in the home by the father make kiddush. It was a typical Jewish home. And it still was on Saturday--we never arrived on Saturday, you know, just Saturday was Saturday, holidays was holidays. We--every child has to be home together.

A typical home.

Yeah.

Did you ever visit with your other relatives?

Oh yes, oh yes.

And did they...

We was very close.

The families were close.

Yes.

Prior to the war did you have any specific plans for the future?

To what?

Did you intend to go on with your education, to get married?

This, this you not can do. This not was for the Jewish to make education or to marry--when you want in the ghetto to marry they want you that you became a bread, you know? What's a bread? It was the whole that you life. Some people married to have the bread. Of if you want to have children to have the bread. I don't want to marry for this.