Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Simon Maroko - February 19 & 26, 1986

Hiding

Where did you go?

We went to that place, found a man without a handkerchief, we understood he was. And he, he approached us and we went to his house. He was a Catholic. He was also a member of the underground. He also, being a Catholic, had quite a large number of children. From his house he went on a bike and we each took one of his daughters behind us on our bikes and went to a farmhouse in ???. The daughters came with us so they could ride the bikes back. And he was the one who, who found a farmer who had been willing to accept students. It was Matzah Shabbat and one of the first thing that I told the farmers, we are Jewish. He had been prepared for students because at that time the students had to report, and the Gentile students had to report and work in Germany because there had been uh, actions by the students and they were being punished, whatever. Uh, he farmer said, "Okay, no problem."

He didn't mind.

But he uh, we had to agree to his terms of paying him so much per month.

Now who was the anarchist?

The anarchist came a few month later. There was a Jewish lady who was-- who came to live where I was uh, hidden on the farm. And she had some--had an anarchist who was her contact man, who helped her with coupons and financially and, and otherwise. Uh, he was part of the Dutch underground. He as an anarchist uh, hated any authority, including the Germans. So he was against them and he was cooperating with the rest of the underground. UM, I had really no uh, no contact with him, except that uh, once he brought in some books uh, anarchistic literature, which I found just funny because they were making fun of no trespassing signs, and everything else is forbidden, they, they just wanted to do. I never in my life--I didn't know what an anarchist means. But I appreciate whatever he was doing for me by selling the, that piano. And, and uh, he was reliable as far as the money that he handed over to me.


© Board of Regents University of Michigan-Dearborn