Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Martin Koby - April 20, 1999

When somebody said that to you the first time or maybe whatever time, did, did you go home and say, "What is this, what are they saying?"

Yeah.

And nobody would...

"No, you don't have to know. Don't bother with--don't play with them. Don't talk to them." How can we do this If I didn't do anything, I wouldn't have a single friend in there.

Was there ever any violent anti-Semitism?

Uh...

I mean people...

...against us as a group, yes. Certain--during certain holidays...

Easter.

Easter time uh, during draft time, when they used to--they used to draft the people...

Uh-huh.

...we did not sleep. If we--you know, they used to rearrange the bedroom. Why? Because--so it wouldn't get a direct hit, because they would throw stones through the windows. Okay? So if you--you know, if, if the, if the bed was near a window, you get hit with a stone.

Yeah.

So during those holidays, there--the, the lights you know, when it--when it's happening, you don't know what's happening. You don't--you know, you kind of become educated step-wise. First day you didn't know, you took it for granted, that's the way it's supposed to be. But you grow up and you begin to understand that the reason--because during those holidays--Christmastime, same thing.

Christmas too?

Yeah. They throw stones, they knock out the windows you know, they p...play all kinds of tricks. Uh, draft time was very interesting. You know, the young men have to go in the army, so they are full of mischief. But who's--who you know who--the--most of the mischief was committed against Jews. They would take the horse and the wagon and put it up somewheres in the f...hide it in the forest. And everybody went bananas to find out where's--you know, a horse is an important thing.

Yeah.

I--those were the kind of expressions.