Saul Raimi - July 7, 1982
Talking About Experiences II
How, how do you feel uh, do you feel that you're very protective of your children?
Oh yes. Very much so.
Have you uh, told them about your experiences?
Actually I told them probably in uh, well, I would say in the beginning I didn't tell them nothing and that was actually foolish. Or maybe not. I don't want them to live with nightmares or maybe be always afraid for their, for my, for their father. I went through so much, you know, and this is one thing which always I, I, I uh, actually can't make up my mind if children should be told in so many details what they uh, their parents or one parent went through or both. In some cases, they both went through. I, I don't know, I don't think that it would uh, make it such a--that didn't help them a lot in their daily, in their normal life I believe. I would rather if they read it in books or in publications what happened then me telling them my personal history. Or I could be I'm wrong, I don't know, but let's say if you pick up a book in the library or anyplace and you got this story of the Holocaust--there is a lot of books of course--well, they get a picture what their father went through, I imagine, I assume that. But to tell them in detail what I went through every day in the ghetto and in the concentration camp, I'm afraid they might get the nightmares after that or always be sorry for me which I, I, I don't, I'm not too uh, happy about it.
Yes.
All I can say, I was a psychologist and I, I, I, I--maybe I'm approach--I'm taking the wrong approach but uh, that my opinion. They should know what was going on to their... what happened to our, to their fellow Jews in our uh, generation ???. But to sit here every day or every week telling the stories, what I went through personally, I, I don't think that uh, that's right. Maybe once in a while...
Mm-hm.
...I uh, we talked about it but I believe if you keep on repeating the age of sufferings, you know, it can disrupt your daily life too.
© Board of Regents University of Michigan-Dearborn