Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Abraham Mondry - June 15, 22, 29 & July 13, 1992

Have you told anybody about this?

Yeah, I tell a social worker. What can she do? They don't even listen to you. You know, they, if you tell 'em something, they don't even listen. They think everybody's crazy. I am not yet. I'm still aware. I look, I'm see it. I'm still aware, that's what they say, I'm too aware for them. I see everything, you know. Eat on the table and the roaches crawl on the tablecloth. All thieves. Everybody tries to get something to steal from everyone else.

Like during the war.

In the nursing home.

But like during the war.

Everything, steal money, everything.

Like during the war.

They care very little for the, for the sick people.

Is that why you said it was like Auschwitz?

Yeah, this was like another, another torture house. You know what, what colored guy I made tell me one time? You better watch out they don't, they don't put a pillow case on you at night.

Why did he say that?

I told you, I thought you, you're a black ass, I told him. Just like this, I told him. He knows ??? take for themselves. ??? he talk with his music on, I couldn't. On the, the first night I know I made a mistake. And I tell you. The reason I went away from there, I was the only Jewish man there, apparently.

Where?

When I was in Utica.

Utica.

They talk me, you communicate, you read, you can communicate, you have communication. Everybody's senile. They're senile there, you know. They, they don't know what, they don't know where they are.

In Utica, at the Utica Hospital.

No, here.

In Borman.

Borman Hall. This woman come in, a good woman, she was sixty. She comes asking, "Tell me something Mister, what they call this place, where I, where I am?" I say, "Where you, when you come yesterday, they didn't tell you where, where you are?" "No." Where you live ??? He's interfering?

No. When you, um...When did you start to live here?

Here?

Yeah.

See, I was so unhappy there in, in Borman Hall, I wanted to kill myself. So they tried to find me another place. See, I can, I can take care of myself, most I can, you know. The, the way I am, you know. What is it called? Jewish family Service. It's the group, group of persons, you know. Handle the living...Sick peoples, you know. They got a geriatric person, you know. She comes and stays 'til 5 o'clock. Cooks, you know. Do the laundry. I mean, it's very, it's the very best what I see.