Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Simon Kalmas - May 25, 1982

Condition of Hometown after the War

What was she talking about specifically?

The entire--well that was even when we were there. Everything was--whatever it was Jewish was torn apart. The shul, the bet ha midrash, all the Jewish institutions that used to be were just torn when we were there. They couldn't burn it because it was too condensed. You know, it would create a fire of the entire city. So what they decided to do is tear it apart. And they tore it apart. Even that old cemetery that wasn't in used, I believe, for the last hundred or two hundred years. But it was there, because it was there with, with monuments--with, with that you could still read, you know, the people--that Tsadik so and so, Tsadik so and so, you know, who's it so and so. It was just leveled off. So what you had to go to see? I would go and see the place that I went to cheder or go to see where the place I went to shul or, or, or, or, or to the Yeshiva or, or, or the other places where you used to go dancing or you used to go, you know, you, you just playing baseball or, or soccer or, or something? It's not there. What are you going to go see? You're better off, in my opinion. I'm better off if I think back to live with the memory than see what, what became of it. This, this is my opinion.


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