Stefa (Sarah) Sprecher Kupfer - July 24, 1987
Hiding in Attic
How long were you in the attic?
In the attic room? Probably two or three months.
And there was a family living right beneath you?
There was a family living right beneath us.
What was it like from day to day?
It was whispers, it was almost not walking, but walking on tiptoes, and barefoot, we couldn't open the window, we were just in the room.
Was there a bathroom?
We had a pail, a covered pail that the landlady's brother would come every evening and pick it up, empty and bring it back for us.
So is this when he would knock on the window?
No, this was still. That was in the room, he would come up with the stairs. She would cook for us, she would make us a soup every day. She would make us a potato soup. To this day, whenever I peel a potato, I remember that potato soup. Mrs. Orlewska was a good Christian. My mother was a very Orthodox observerant Jewish lady. And Mrs. Orlewska respected the fact that my mother was Kosher. She took one pot and one spoon and this was for us. She scrubbed it, washed it and that was for us. She only cooked potatoes in it, and some flour without any fat make it a little thicker, and this was our meal that she brought us every day in a big pot. Sometimes for a surprise, she would throw in a whole potato, not a cut up potato, and we would discover it on the bottom, she used to do, besides saving our lives, she used to do nice things for us. She used to buy apples and bread was rationed, so we couldn't have any fresh bread you know, there were only two people, how much bread could they buy? So, her brother would go to the soldiers to the German soldiers and they would sell him bread, old bread, two three weeks old the date was stamped on the bread. And we would cut it with a knife, you know, it's like sawing wood, so, Mrs. Orlewska would say to Momma, "you know, take the apple and scrub, rub it and put it on the bread and the juice will sink in and it would make it soft for the children." And you know what, it was delicious, it was soft bread. She was a remarkable lady. She was special, special lady.
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