Martin Koby - April 20, 1999
Nature of Children
...are like sponges. They absorb things until they become aware, you know. Up until then they just observe.
Uh-huh.
Because my little granddaughter, who was two years old, she was here in--I don't know in November. And she noticed something. And she never talked about it. The other day our daughter tells us that Julia said that Grandpa Martin and Grandpa and Grandma Florence have the same kind of a toy. Because Glenda bought a toy for--she's expecting a new baby. And the toy you know, hangs from the ceiling, one of those...
Uh-huh.
...mobiles. And she said to her, "Grandpa Martin, Grandpa--Grandma Florence has this kind of a toy at their house.
Very observant.
Very observe...but you know, it's--I think that...
Children do...
...that's how myself and probably my cousins too, they just--you couldn't--I couldn't understand it. I mean, why do they do it? Who knows?
So is...
I mean, why--if the Jews were--were kill...killings.
Someone warned your, your family.
The, the Jewish community, yes.
The Jewish community. And, and immediately, you...
That same day.
...you were told, put on lay...layers of clothes.
I was told by my parents.
Okay. So you did that and then...
They told me where to go. I went about a kilometer from the house.
By yourself.
All by myself...
And you...
...at night.
Okay. Well, so you walked out, walked out of your house alone at night.
Yes. But I knew the area. I knew where I was walking.
So you weren't scared?
But I also--well, sure I was scared. You know, you're scared walking about night by yourself. And I--right away, the first thing I did, I applied the lesson of survival of Mr. Czepko.
Okay. So you had already learned that.
I knew it the minute I walked out of the house.
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