Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Brenda Reiss - June 23, 1983

You were liberated in Czechoslovakia?

Yeah, the next day. The 5th of May, yeah?

May. What army liberated you?

The Russian, yeah. But I don't got where to go, I was there. No one of my family were not alive, and I went to Poland back because I know I'm going to have to tell them because I was a Jew. No reason. I don't have nobody--I was there. I went there with my friend who got the baby and we were in Czechoslovakia. I wrote to ??? and asked them maybe we can stay, he wrote me back, yes. Then I want to go away because no future was...

Yeah, yeah. So after you were liberated, where did you go with your friend and how did you...

I was in ???...

You stayed in Czechoslovakia?

Yeah, because I don't want to go back to Poland.

Yeah.

I know what I suffered before and no way or need to go back. I got for her to look, I said "No, I don't stay there."

Were you ever in a Displaced Persons camp? Were you ever in a Displaced Persons camp after the war at all?

No, after the war Russian give me a hou...a, a place, he told me you take everything you like it and where you like it. There they give me a beautiful apartment, beautiful. They were very good to me and I have no reasons--very good to me.

Good to you.

Yeah. Very good to me. And we were together with the baby.

Before you were liberated did you have any idea that the Russians were close? Could you hear the war? Could you hear bombing or anything?

No, they--yeah, when we were in the factory they know the Russian were bombarding but we don't care either.

Yeah.

Nothing. We don't care either. I mean, many times we went out--I wish they kill us--maybe kill us and the German would say to go in. We don't even care for it. Nothing. No...nobody cared. Nobody cared.

How long did you stay in Czechoslovakia after?

I went out from Czecho...I think for two, three years I was stay there. Yeah, yeah.

With your friend? You stayed with your friend?

My friend, yeah, yeah. And then she went to ??? in Munich I went with her.

And how long were you there in Munich?

I think--I was 1945 here three and then I went to, to America 1959 and I got four years--I got three years. I think two years I was in Czech...I don't even remember. Then I went to ??? and I stayed a year, then I come to America. Yeah, yeah.