Alice Lang Rosen - August 5, 1991
Life in Foster Care
Did they ever te...tell to not to identify yourself as Jewish?
Well, in the very beginning they said, "You're here now and you're Catholic and you're with us and uh, we'll take care of you until your parents come back." Um, but then um, one day someone came and said they had to take me away because they couldn't afford me anymore. They were very small farmers and then that extra mouth to feed, I was getting older and they would have to take me to another city. And as it happened in the same--in Noyer was another farmer--a very big farm--and they took in children--there were quite a few children there and they said they would take me. And I was actually happy that I didn't have to leave the city where I was. Was still the same school and uh, she was even more religious--Catholic--she had a Jesus and cross over my bed and every night we prayed.
What was her name?
Uh, Didier. D-I-D-I-E-R. And there was no--she had no husband, I mean, it was just a woman. And uh, in fact at the time she was hiding a, a Jewish family--two children, mother and father--and they were eventually found and I understand that they were killed. I didn't see it happen but I remember the talk that they were caught and everything. And, um...
Was she also caught?
Um, no they didn't do anything to her but um, as time went on, like I said, we went to school. We worked there, we worked in the fields. We made our own flour and bread and at harvest time, you know, we worked in the fields. And all the children, the fruit was, was ripe we um, had to, you know, pick the trees--pick the fruit from the trees. And--but they--she was good to us. We went to school, and she had a few children, and uh, we came home from school and there was always a jam sandwich and milk waiting. I mean, we didn't, we didn't go hungry or anything.
How many children lived in the house?
At least 3 or 4. I don't even know if they were all Jewish or not. I don't think they were all Jewish. She was just taking in foster, foster children.
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