Simon Maroko - February 19 & 26, 1986
Avoids Deportation II
He guided me further. We went up the stairs. And while we were up the stairs and I felt it was safe to talk to him. I asked him, "That guy who was sitting there, is he German or Jewish?" I don't believe that he even answered me. But he made the right turn on the second floor and motioned and I could see that the other Jews were there. And it was his idea that I continue there and he would go back. I saw him go back. I went after him. He came back to the same spot where I had seen that man next to the table, which was the entrance lobby. I had my coat over my arm, I had a obviously visible David star and I had a hat on. I did for sure not have the special band that the members of the Jewish Council had who could walk in and out of that prison. When I was about to start going towards the exit, someone behind me, I must assume from the Jewish Council shouted very loud twice, Maroko, Maroko – it's the Dutch pronunciation. I could see someone in green uniform with a revolver. I continued walking as if angels were guiding me. I walked very calmly through the exit. When I came to the street I saw that on the left there was a German command car with let's say at least ten uniformed Germans was arriving and stopping there. I went, calmly went to the right. There was there very close to the end of that block. By the way, that was the street where we lived on the left side. I made a right turn, not going home because I knew that was the first thing they would look for me if they would notice I had left. I went back to the Jewish Hospital. Um, after a short distance past that corner, I started running. I remember that when I was still inside I could hear the electric streetcar making that turn--it was line number seven--and there was always a high-pitched sound there and they always had to keep that lubricated. And I told myself, I remember that, that sounds, that's the sound of life. Freedom and life is just only bricks separating me from that. And that was one of the things that probably uh, motivated me to, to do what I did. I ran from there on, my adrenaline overpowered me. I couldn't walk anymore. And besides it was getting very close to eight o'clock. I entered the hospital. I uh, had a sister of my brother-in-law there as a nurse. And uh, I went to her in the nurses', nurses' dorm and she let me sleep there all night. I was in the bed of one of the nurses. They told me, "Keep your head covered. There is going to be a bed check by the head nurses, but they won't see you if you have just your head covered. And by the way, that is mentioned in Leesha Rose's book, The Tulips are Red. Only with a few...
[interruption in interview]
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