Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Selma Rich - July 17, 1984

But I risked my life, every day was brought in a pail with milk in the ghetto. I used to wear a big, big shawl, was bigger than myself and I used to carry two pails of milk. One pail was for the police and the other pail was for the children in ghetto. Each time when I brought in the milk, people were crying they shouldn't kill me. And I say, what is the difference. But I wasn't very long with them because they needed, I don't know exactly how many people, twenty-five people what to work from this town. My brother's supposed to go.

How did the Lithuanian police treat you?

The Lithuanian didn't treat us too bad, but not too good.

An example.

For instance they were very strict, to bring in something in ghetto was terrible. Couldn't. But because I worked for them, maybe they knew or maybe they did not know. Because I had to pass by the, the ghetto. And there was Jewish police, they were Jewish police they putted by the ghetto to watch.

How did uh, how did the people in the ghetto react to Jews who were police?

In our ghetto, very good. A matter of fact they let me in with the milk and they were scared to death because they could shot them to death for this.

How did the Jews like other Jews as police?

In our ghetto was harmony. In our ghetto we used to go to the other people which had more and ask them, beg them to give for other people, to share. When I brought in the milk in ghetto, first of all was for the little babies, which my mother--her name was Shana--she was very good and loved very much. And my father's name was Hertzel. His eyes was filled with tears from happiness that children will have a little bit of milk. In my home, my aunt ??? used to say it's a blessing, this kind of family everybody is never hungry because every, everybody try to, to, the other person should eat. This was my family. I was never hungry, I used to say, I eat there. Even I was starved to death, I told them I ate there so much, I have no place for anything, you eat. My little sister should eat, my mother should eat. We were, and everybody was always full. My mother used to make a pot with water and just a few potatoes inside and she used to serve so nice the table, like would be the most beautiful meal. That's the way I was raised, with love, so I could give love.