Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Martin Koby - April 20, 1999

Russian Liberation

What happened on February 2nd?

The Russians came back.

The Russians came back. Do you think your father paid Mr.--did you say Charny ?

Szczasny?

Szczasny. Did he, did he pay him?

I don't know. But I do know that uh, when the Germans came, they took precautions not to be robbed. You know, they have their nice, nice coat...

And yeah.

You had your bedding you know, nice--they had uh, for, for, for that area, for that time, for that they, they can honestly--it was a little--a step above the peasant.

Tell me, tell me again the name of the village that was this...

Giuszwica! It's not on the map. You won't find it.

Oh, this is not the Czech village that you were talking about?

Giuszwica had Czechs...

Yeah.

Ukrainians and the forty-eight Jews.

Okay. And the, the, the Czech village you were telling me about was like four kilometers away, is that...

Oh, that was of the Martynovka--Martyn....

Yeah.

You won't find it on there, no.

I'm sure not. All right. So he was from Giuszwica?

Giuszwica, yeah, it was Giuszwica Czech.

Hm. So he knew your father from before?

Yeah, but I don't--didn't know--I can't to this day figure out what was there. You know, that's a, a big uh, uh--on Mr. Szczasny's behalf, that's a big responsibility. That's a big uh, acceptance of responsibility. You're risking your family's--you're risking...

[interruption in interview]


© Board of Regents University of Michigan-Dearborn