Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Sara Silow - August 8, 1993

How did you meet your husband?

In Belgium.

How?

My, my aunt, my uncle, they got a grocery. And the customers were uh, coming in and my aunt, my aunt always was talking always they have a, a nice man for, for her niece--for me. And somebody had as a customer--this way I met my husband, yeah.

So, you, you courted and you were married in Belgium.

Yeah.

Charley was then born...

In 1948.

What made you decide to come here?

My husband wanted because I don't want to be any more in, in Europe.

Because of the war?

He was, he was fed up with the wars, with everything. Because lots of people went to United States from Belgium.

But why to Detroit? What made you come to Detroit?

We came to St. Louis.

Oh, that's right, you came to St. Louis.

We came to, to Texas--San Antonio, Texas--and my husband doesn't--can't find a job. And uh, from the Jewish Family Service, they asked my husband, "You needed clothes for the baby"--Charley was a baby--"for your wife, for yourself?" He said, "We have everything." He was working. He was making very good in Belgium. Maybe--he said-- they asked him, "You have money?" and he said, "Yes, I have $300." We got more, but he said $300. So they are saying, if you--"When you don't have any more money and you don't work, tell us," but he was too proud of himself. People are saying "Why you are doing this? They can give you everything." But my husband said, "No. I wanted work." He sai...everything they are asking are we needed he said no. Finally, he cannot find--he was not able to find a job so he said, "Maybe no job here because this is border from Mexico and lots of Mexican people they are working for $1 an hour." Yeah. So, finally they said, "There is no place for you here." So, they send us to St. Louis and my husband find a good job for General Motors. And he was working in General Motors. We bought--after several years, we bought a nice house--a six-family building--and later on we sold this and bought us a two-family building. And Charley went to Detroit and my husband said, "It is not good. We have to be together." So, we sold the house and we came here. I was miserable here because I missed my friends. I was used to St. Louis and I don't like it here too much. I belong to several organizations. I no liked the people.

Still?

There is nothing here. But Charley's mother-in-law, she is so wonderful to us. She said, "You belong now to our family." Always yontif we are together. We are going out together. It--they are just wonderful.

Gloria.

Yes, Gloria. You know her?

Uh-huh.

She is a wonderful woman.

I know.

She just--and her husband, too, Arthur, and the whole family, yeah. And they love just Charley. What Charley is talking--what he is saying is so beautiful to--for them.