Joseph Klaiman - May 4, 1982
Israel
You're not sorry you didn't go to Israel.
Eh, now what want to I cannot say sorry. My whole life after the war was to go to Israel. Uh, if you're talking about Israel, they came--when the night before independent of Israel they came to me and they want me to go to fight in 1948 to fight for Israel. And I was in love with my new wife. And came from the Haganah came people to me and said, ???. I remember I said, "What I went through, I got now somebody and I'm married. And I don't want to lose no more, I got enough. I cannot take it no more.' And all my friends went. A couple others are back here, they are here now. And uh, I didn't go. I'm sorry I cannot say that, I don't know. My heart is still Israel. I can go on vacation, the best vacation is to go to Israel. And when I went to go to Israel I told you that they said that I have to wait and I didn't want to wait because my wife was pregnant. I am sorry--I got, I got here three children. I am happy here. What can I say? I felt after the war every Jew's supposed to go to Israel. ??? different circumstances. My, in time my friend went to, to United States. She's here all the time and I said goodbye to her and she--and I said, "Am I going to see you in Israel or are you going to see me once in awhile in United States?' And she left here, and after when I called her up that I'm ???. She said, "What happened?' and I told her I have to wait, and, it was my, my--went--we wanted to go to Israel. It's okay. I have three children. God was with me.
© Board of Regents University of Michigan-Dearborn