Ruth Kent - May 4, 1982
Pre-War Anti-Semitism
Do you remember any specific incidents of anti-Semitic uh, inferences to...
Um, usually it was on the playground uh, in fact I went back to Łódź anyhow uh, the playground is still there. And usually on the playground uh, children would be very discriminating. I mean they just, it was no, no mercy--children are rude and, and cruel. And if they didn't know, they would right away assume that you are not Polish, that you are Yiddish, that you are Jewish. And they would throw you down the uh, swings or give you a push. Uh, that's why we always, when my mother never let us go alone to the playground, we always went with Panna she was like sort of taking care of us.
You lived in uh, in uh, all Jewish neighborhood or predominantly Jewish neighborhood?
I uh, as I says I was younger, I really didn't--in, in our uh, apartment I would say the people that I knew were Jewish. The owner was Jewish and we had a janitor living with us and his daughter who finally got married, she lived next door to uh, to us. Uh, I would say the people living in our apartment were predominantly Jewish. I can't think of anyone--they might have been assimilated Jews.
Do you think, was your family assimilated in ???
No, I would not say that my family was assimilated because my father came from an Orthodox family and he supported uh, a lot of these little--they didn't even call them synagogues honey, they called them like little homes where people worship. And when my father died my mother found out that he would spend money, he would send someone out to paint the place and they were very charitable. And um, they were, were--we didn't belong to a large synagogue. I never remember having the um, elegant synagogue or any big uh, elaborate building. It was usually in a home to the best of my recollection. But my father would take me Saturday morning, he would, I don't know about the boys, I, maybe they had to go but uh, nothing was that compulsory. And then when my father's fail uh, health started uh, failing a little bit he had to do some things that were maybe not expected of him but he did the best he could as far as religion was concerned.
Do you know about how many Jews were in the city?
Uh, Łódź had a population maybe about 700,000. It was a large city. Uh, maybe ten, fifteen percent, but don't quote me. I, as I said I uh, I, I didn't know, but...
Okay, that's...
Maybe that's how many.
That's I think about right, uh...
I would just assume...
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