Esfir Lupyan - December 17, 2007
Collaborators
It was many...
Before the, before the war, did you have non-Jewish friends? Did you know any non-Jews?
Nine?
Non-Jews.
Non-Jews?
Yeah.
Yeah, it was no matter. Yeah, we, we don't... I was too small. My mom...
Did they offer to help when the Germans came? Did they try to help people?
Uh, maybe they, they uh, thought of us because they gave my brother to eat something. Maybe. But maybe was, uh... what is that word? Word, I, I don't remember ??? Who, who take their Germans side ??? People...
Collaborators.
Yeah, they take them and they help...
They work with the Germans.
Yes.
Yeah.
Yes. Title
So, when, when you, when you left home and you marched to the ghetto, did, did people watch you in the street? Non-Jews.
Oh, you know what, it was one time I, I never forget, like from the beginning, from the beginning uh, mom take me--one hand and my brother in other hand--and we went on street that I remember it was long, long endless column of people. They go like, you know, all together, flow, flow and German with dogs conducted them. And my brother said, "Mom, what is staying here? You want go with them?--he was twelve years, twelve or thirteen years--you want go with them? Let's hide, let's go out from here." And she was like, like numb. She could not... She stay like shocked. He could not understand and she so many friends. That--later we understand--that was, they go in, in German, somewhere, somewhere they sent it. I don't know it was only Jew or all people. It was so many, so many. So, so my brother, "Mom, Mom wake up," and we go inside, inside to our house. That was from the beginning.
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