Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Helen Lang - February 23, 1982

I don't want to take too much more of your time.

I don't know what else can I tell you?

Um, when your, when your son was born, what kinds of uh, plans did you have or do you have for him?

Plans? Like what?

Well, what, what did you hope for in the future for your son?

Well he should be a Jew. And he should remember. And I taught him, I says, "David, we never believed that that could happen to us." I say, "You have that in your mind too. It could happen. It could happen. But be prepared for it." We weren't prepared for it.

Is, is he married?

He's going to get married, yeah.

He's a physician.

Yes.

You must be very proud of him.

I am, I am. Of course. You know, he achieved something that uh, you know, I am proud.

Do you think that you became stronger from all this?

Yes, yes. What I lived through, believe me, what I lived through. All right, I had what to eat here and there, you know, like I told you. But I lived in fear. I lived--because I had to live--it wasn't my choice. Because I was figuring maybe next day, who knows what's going to happen to me. We lived for the moment, for the hour.

Do you think that because your sister was with you, you felt you had to help?

I think because I was with my sister I saved her life. I think I feel that way, because I was the one who was always, you know, helping her, like, you know, when she was in Stutthof, she was sick with the ear infection. And here I couldn't help her. And then when, when in Praust when she was going out to work and I took her out from there because she looked terrible. That sun--first of all, you know, I guess the people didn't have enough vitamins in themselves--and to stay on the sun, they were burned. They, they had blotches all over--that sun blotches on their faces. You know, they looked terrible. And that I pulled her out from there--I think that I helped her, you know, that, that--because she is here. And then she found out what happened to her little boy, so you can imagine what she carried on, you know. That was Eva's brother.

Are you close with Eva too?

Very much, I love her. She is like my daughter. I'm so close to her.

And they, they live nearby. Your sister too?

My sister lives in uh, Livonia. Not far. You know with a car nowadays, not far--twenty minutes down there. No, we are a close family.