Edward Linson - November 10, 1981
Politics and Resistance
What about political life?
Political life was in a way, yes. We always uh, some of 'em. So we got to be very careful, because if somebody--we got people what they were saying to the re...to all of us, you know.
Were you political in Warsaw? Did you have any--you or your family--were they...
My family was real Zionist inclined. As a matter of fact, I got lots of relatives in Israel now.
Was there anyone affiliated with the Bund or, or with, with the Revisionist party or anything like that in Warsaw?
Yes, we had over there Betar. We had a Betar.
And in the camp, were people in the camp also?
Oh yes, lots of 'em. Lots. A few they run out uh, I mean in the beginning to the Russian zone, to the Russian--to Russia, not to the Russian zone.
You mean during the ghetto days.
Yes. It was hard to get out.
Was there any plans for resistance in the....
What's the resist...how you can resist if, if, if you got enemies from the Polacks? For instance I was uh, living in a house--was about seventy people living--not seventy, seventy uh, what you call 'em? Seventy places--seventy apartments. It was a, a guy with the name ???. He was living--he was practically--we, we was brought up together. And the ghe...and the moment the, the German come in, I got to give him Geld and this was ???. You know what ??? is.
And he didn't tell who you were, is that what...
That's right. One guy in Majdanek--a young Pole--nice looking, dressed nice with a, a whip, inside was a chain with leather. So he was beating up everybody. And I got the--I was a little bit fresh, you know fresh. So I asked him in Polish, "Why you, why you beating ???" He says to me, "Because you are Jew." And I di...I didn't scare--I was not scared for him because I tell you why. What was there a few Jews from Warsaw and there was a, a underworld people and I knew him. Two was it. Their name was one ??? and the other one ??? with the two, the two names. And I knew them.
[interruption in interview]
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