Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Bernard & Emery Klein - May 23, 1984

Introduction Continued

B: The very first night where we ran into one of those homes to sleep over, we actually found some of the food that was still warm, that indicated people just about left. But what happened next was the fact that during the night, I don't know if you recall, the house was put on fire, and we had to run for our lives again. And uh, we had to find another place to sleep over. I also, on the way out of the camp, the first, perhaps the first experience of what indication maybe of Russian anti-Semitism, was when we were on the road, starting to march, we run into a Russian army was marching on and one of the trucks stopped, and we wanted to, we were hoping to get a ride from them, but they asked us who we are. When they found out that we are Jews, they refused, blaming us for working for the Germans. That was their interpretation. In fact, they said in Russian and I will probably never forget it. I don't want to say it in Russian because probably it won't mean much.

Go ahead, say it in Russian.

B: Well, they say, ???, which means, "You Jews worked for the Germans" and they just drove off and left us on the road.

E: As it was we were still happy to, to see them, because uh, we felt naturally much more safe at that time knowing that at least, we, the Germans cannot hurt us at that point. We continued in our walk towards home.


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