Martin Koby - April 20, 1999
Discussion of Politics
It had to be in '46.
'46, still. Okay.
Maybe '45 the war was over. We come to--it had to be late, late '45 or early '46.
'46.
But the weather was--there was no snow. I don't know, but they could have cleaned it up.
Had you heard of Kielce?
No--I--no, I sort of, sort of.
The pogrom?
Yeah, I think it was, sort of.
And that didn't--there was no discussion about that, either? There was...
Not that I remember. You see, when they did this ??? there was a--I think I rule in our house, you don't talk politics in front--well, in front of your kids.
Hm.
They used to--well, they used to come together--even in Giuszwica you know, before the war--under the Russians--under the Germans.
Why? You'd just come through the war.
But they must have understood the Soviet setup.
Oh.
You know, they must have understood the Soviet setup. I don't know from where, because there were no books to read and television to watch or radio to listen to. But among themselves you see, they must have had some kind of a experience or discussion or teaching or something...
A couple of sessions ago you talked about "The Internationale."
Yeah.
And how stirring it was and--for you and your father, right?
Yeah, I talked about it. But I, I never discussed it with my father. You know, we didn't discuss what "The Internationale" meant.
Yeah. But, but he knew?
Oh, he knew the words and he knew the melody. He taught it to me.
You think he was at one point a Socialist?
No. He just absorbed it. He just learned it.
Because that...
Maybe he knew. He never told me his political convictions I mean, what he believed in or what not.
Hm.
He wanted me to read the Chumash. He wanted me to read--to learn the prayer book.
And did you do that?
Sure.
Even--after the war you went back and you were, you were studying again?
Oh, yeah, when we went, when we went--you know, we went from Bytom, we ended up in West Germany.
© Board of Regents University of Michigan-Dearborn