Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Irene Sobel - September 8, 1998

Help from Pen Pal's Family

Do you remember the name?

Oh yes, Clara Glotser.

Where was she from?

Uh, Brooklyn, New York.

Brooklyn.

She was born in Brooklyn. The mother was Clara Glotser. And the way I remember the name because we are, we have stayed friends for a life time.

Oh you have.

You know. And I told her that I had a mother and explained to her. When I decided to go to Israel, she sent me all kinds of things, used thing that I could sell to help me. I have stayed in touch with them the rest--my whole life. Uh, the mother died and, of course--when I first came to the United States, when I was married, I came first alone for reasons that my then husband had to transfer his sick brother and couldn't come with me, there was some complication, and I stayed with them for about two moments in New York. Yeah. And uh, the mother died and I was ???. I would visit them frequently and I was like their daughter. I'm right now staying in touch, as a matter of fact a few days ago we spoke to each other by phone, I called to wish her a happy Jewish New Year, I got a card from her and we are in touch over all those years. I am in touch with Esther. Uh, she lives in New York and she's married and has a family.

And did she tell you where she found out about you?

You know, there was some--no, I don't know, I don't think I even asked. What, it didn't kind of seem to matter. The whole notion of getting a, a, a letter from the United States and for me then "America" was a land of dreams. America. It was not--we didn't call it United States. America was United States and the land of miracles and...

Golden dreams.

Yeah, and dreams. So to get a letter from America was an enormous excitement.


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