Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Simon Maroko - February 19 & 26, 1986

And what was the name you took?

Huh?

What was the name you took under those false papers?

My false name was uh, based upon the two last names ???. My full initials are S.W.M. For Simon ??? uh, and the W. became Wilhelm, Wilhelm in Dutch, and M. became Master, in Dutch means Wilhelm Master. And that was the name that was on there. ??? short for William. Uh, around that time, when the southern half of Holland was already liberated. I had what I probably should call now fantasies of walking my way across the lines to meet the Allied forces, because I was getting impatient. On the other hand, it never crossed my mind what I would do in case somehow the Germans would be successful and not lose the war. I never thought like that.

How far do you think you were from the Allied lines?

Not far. ???. In, in miles it would be something like uh, maybe eighty, sixty miles. I think I could walk there in a few days. Uh, now in hindsight I think it's better I didn't try it. It was very risky ???. In 1945, ??? uh, I was again alone there with the farmer and the farmer felt since I didn't look Jewish that I could go outside. The canals, the relatively narrow, maybe a few yard wide canals were there for irrigation, they're all closing. And by the way, the location of the farmhouse was the last farmhouse next to the dike of the inner ??? the Zuiderzee. So we were very remote from...It was one of the best places. Uh, we went over the dike and there ??? and the farmer told me um, it's okay. And I said "Hey, there's a German soldier there." He said, We know him, he's all right." So I ???. And on the way back, while we were skating and we reached a place where the water on both sides was visible. And in the middle there was a narrow spot that was ice. And I told him, "Hey, uh, is that going to be all right?" He said, If I can cross it you will be able to too. So he crossed it and I followed it and I went promptly through the ice. I made it to that side. I was, of course, completely drenched and I don't know if I ran back to the farm or I walked whatever. I was left ??? outside.