Alice Lang Rosen - August 5, 1991
Being Transferred to Rivesaltes
Um, so, from Gurs they, they just what? One day came in and said...
That's right. "Pack up." In fact, this has been my life for all those six years. It's always pack up and running and going. They packed us up and we went to Rivesaltes.
Also on a truck?
Yes, same way. And, when--and Rivesaltes was exactly the opposite of Gurs. It was a very dry ground and stones and uh, also we were barracks but there they separated the men from the women. We were--I was with my grandmother, mother, and my grandfather. Apparently they took all the younger men to work and he--my father was in another barrack, um...
[interruption in interview]
So you were in separate barracks.
We were in separate barracks. There--you asked me about playing--there I remember running around, and playing and being somewhat happier than in Gurs. And also, there were Gypsies in the concentration camp, a lot. And I was always told to never to go the Gypsy camp--you cannot because they, you know, they steal children. Never go to the Gypsy camp. Of course, the more I was told not to go, I went. And I went, and I was--I went to the Gypsy camp and I remember my father telling me that they searched for me. All day they were looking, they couldn't find me and they were very upset and then my father realized that I must have been there. And he came and found me and I'm sure I got spanked, I don't remember. But uh, I do remember them talking about the Gypsy's and how they were arrested.
So your father, your father may have been in the separate barracks...
Yes.
...but it sounds like he...
He was in communication with, with us but I remember I saw him.
Did he see you in the evenings? Is that what...
Yes, I'm sure I saw him, you know.
Were there more French speaking people there?
I don't remember anything about French speaking until I was actually in France.
So the guards--well Rivesaltes...
The, the guards were German.
Those were still German.
Yes, of course, yes. And there was always barbed wire and guarding, you know, and all that, yeah.
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