Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Alice Lang Rosen - August 5, 1991

Was this in Vichy France? Was it--south would have been in Vichy France.

It was in the southern part of France and that's all I know. In fact, for the years afterwards I heard that a lot of um, Southern French people were the ones that were hiding Jewish families and children and helping. But they were very good. And actually they kept us in the convent until they could place us, that's where we were separated. And they placed us what they would call foster homes. And then, might not have been too far because I was in Noyer, which is not uh, I would say it's uh, it's also a um, village, a farm...farming village in France--southern part of France. Noyer.

Near where?

N-O-Y-E-R.

Do you know what city it was near--major city?

I don't--I think it was not too far from Lyon.

Yeah?

Yeah, mm-hm. And um, so they placed me uh, first with the one family, Gordon, G-O-R-D-O-N.

This was not a Jewish family.

Was not a Jew...no. They were Gentile.

Did they know you were Jewish?

They knew I was Jewish. They were told and they were being paid--Red Cross paid them so much a month to keep me, just like a foster home I would assume here. And--but they were very small farmers. She had one cow, a few chickens and um, you know...

Any children?

Grown children, there was no little children around at the time with me.

Must have been older.

They were an older couple, yes. And um, but they were good to me uh, the sent me to school, I learned French, we went to church, and uh, they told me I had to pray--that I was um, Catholic now. And the changed my name from Freya to Frieda because they said Freya was too German and so I became Frieda while I was there. And, and every Sunday we, we went to church and I went to school and I had my chores to do. I--she taught me how to darn socks and knit, and wash the floor and I mean, I mean I had good, you know, good--they were very good to me. So, time passed and I was, you know, I spoke French pretty good at--by then.