Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Pauline Kleinberg - October 28, 1982

Moving to Detroit

But, so he was here for a, for about a month. He made a fortune. But we have to rent an apartment and it was ve...it was very scarce on 12th Street and you mustn't have a child. So we had to lie again that we have no children. And you have to give the caretaker under the table a few dollars in order to accept you, and that all happened. But when I came and this friend took me out the first time to a bakery around the corner--it was a Warsaw bakery--and I see rye bread and I see fresh butter and I see people talk Jewish and people talk Polish and people talk Chinese and they talk every language, then I thought it's a heaven. Then I thought I'm really in a heaven. And then a, a month later I went to that school. And I said, "Well, I can speak English," and right around the corner it was a little Jewish Center already and took in the children, you know, to the kindergarten...

Husband: Blaine.

...to play. On Blaine...

Husband: Blaine.

I ??? on ??? around 12th Street.

I lived on West Philadelphia near 12th Street.

Where is that?

West Philadelphia.

Husband: Philadelphia.

West Philadelphia, yeah, we were on Pingree.

Next--the Astor Theater.

The Astor Theater, do you remember?

I--you know where we used to go eat all the time?

Cream of Michigan.

Cream of Michigan!

Yes, Jew! I thought it's a heaven. They talk Jewish people were walking...

Husband: We had a fancy apartment.

...a fancy apartment, and you know what more, it wasn't like now. I put the kid to sleep, we took a walk down, we were with people and we were talking like no problem. I got sick, a lady said, "Come on, I'll take you to Dr. Pollack"--the kid. And then it was another clinic--it was a clinic there for free. You know, we had no money uh, to take us to treat us and everything was so fine. And I said, "My God, and the bread, and chickens--kosher chicken. And, and it's uh, the people here they're living--what a life." And from then on I love it. And we're not millionaires, but I tell you in my old ??? and I know I've seen, I've seen better times I see now. That time we could walk--we could leave the door open. I was afraid to leave, to leave the kid upstairs sleeping and we went for a walk. And then we peeked in and see if he's doing fine. Uh, it--and I know the difference now but look somewhere else. It's...

Husband: Forty years.

...it's thirty-two years that I lived through this.


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