Alexander Raab - June 28, 2002
German Occupation II
Do you remember when the Germans marched into Jarosław?
Yes. As a fact, I even remember when, when--first when they first started there were sirens going on all the time and there were air uh, air raids. And we could hear the bombardments. We could actually hear, the, the windows were shaking in our house. And uh, then all of a sudden it got quiet. And I remember my grandfather used to--my grandmother used to always grab me by the hand and, and drag me down, there was a cellar. It was not a basement like in here, it was like a cellar and we used to run down to the cellar when, when those--you could hear the noise of the planes, and the, the explosions, the bombardments, we used to run to the cellar. And me being a kid, I was very uh, very inter...I, I wanted to see the planes. I could hear 'em, I couldn't see 'em because the buildings were--And I, I used to always run out and look at the sky. I wanted to see the planes that coming, and, and grandmother used to grab me by the hand and pull me back into the cellar.
Your family must have been terrified.
Of course, I can't imagine. So I remember that exactly. And then, it got quiet all--the bombardment stopped and it was very quiet. You couldn't hear and there was no noise. There was no traffic, because usually you used to see a horse and buggy on the street that, where we lived. And it was quiet. And me and my cousin--'cause we lived in the same building--the apartment where they lived, there were windows going out to the street and we stood at the windows and all of a sudden both of us, we saw uh, German patrol on motorcycles. You know, they, they passed by and next thing we know a whole army came. They were, they were dragging artillery pieces with horses and uh, and, and trucks were coming in and they were marching by foot you know, and they were--and that wa...we used to live not far away from that city hall. And there was also a big church, it's still there. Every...everything is there the way it is. And uh, it looks like they, they went to the city hall you know, to take over the, the, the, the administration of this whole area. So the who...whole army passed by just in front of our eyes.
How about your neighbors? Did and, any--did you have non-Jewish neighbors?
Uh, the only one that used to live in that building was that care...caretaker that was non-Jewish. Most of the neighbors, most of the tenants in that building--it was like an apartment building. There must have been a--I would say maybe eight--ten units in there. Uh, there used to be--I, I recall a, a, a Jewish guy that used to make hats. They called it in Yiddish a hitlmakher, you know and uh, there were some other Jewish families, that lived over there. But I, I believe mo...most of them were Jewish families living over there.
So nobody offered to help you. Goyim.
No, there was no, there was basically no contact.
And the police?
Police.
Polish police.
I don't think they existed even. Well, the moment the Germans--there was police uh, before the German marched in, but the moment they marched in they were, they were the authority.
So you saw virtually the whole army march by your house.
The whole army.
And what about were there--was there rationing, was there curfew?
Uh, I don't think uh, since the German marched in I don't think I ever walked out from the house...
I see.
...in the street. I don't know if that because they announced a curfew or because uh, my mother wouldn't let me out or--I don't think I ever left the, the house.
You didn't wear any s...you didn't wear any armbands, the Star of David?
I don't think I ever had...
Probably not even the Star...
No.
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