Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Ilya Martha Kessler - November 1, 1982

Talking About Experiences

Um, how do you feel about um, talking about your experiences? Did you...

Now, now I feel maybe I needed to talk to somebody because that's inside.

Did you ever talk to your, to your son or...

I used to tell him. He used to feel sorry for me.

Uh--huh. What about...

And this I didn't want so much. He used to ask me, "Why don't... Why I don't have no grand uh, parents. I don't have no, uh... You don't have no sisters. You don't have this and ???"

Uh, did you ever talk with uh, strangers about it? Did people ever ask you? I mean, did you ever have friends that asked or that, that you to about...

If we are together with my friend, we always talk, we always explain each other. Now I have ??? We always talk about it.

Is it easier to talk to other survivors about it than to people who haven't been...

Yes, if I say something right away you'll ??? and they look where we saw each other.

Um, what are your plans and hopes for your, for your son's future and for your future? Do you...

I hope my son going to be happy and I hope nothing are going to happen what happen and the Jews going to fight back, not going to let them ??? and Israel going to be always.

How do you feel about Israel uh, politically and everything else? Do you...

I love...

Have you gone back at all?

Yes, I feel like I was born there. You know, I ???

Have you uh, have you gone back to see your uh, your aunt who got the papers to go to Czechoslovakia, to uh, Budapest?

No, no, I, uh...

Have you kept in contact with your aunt?

...because... No. Yeah, sometime ??? yeah.

[interruption in interview]


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