Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Zwi Steiger - March 27, 1982

Conclusion

How could He let us down if...

You're doing all the things.

...if there was really such a God. And He was supposed to be a God--the God is supposed to be somebody who has mercy, has understanding, who remembers the good deeds of your ancestors. He didn't remember anything. And I shouldn't complain because I, personally, I survived. So He--maybe He, He did something--I escaped those two Germans let me go. But uh, that is--was an accident like so many other things.

You attribute your survival to...

An accident, sheer accident. Because classmates, schoolmates, family members that were good, that were better than I am, and they were stronger, they were physically and mentally and they didn't make it. And why--there's no somebody picked me out, "Save this guy." And this is how I imagined, you know, how life is--that somebody is controlling things, you know. On, on Rosh Hashanah, on Yom Kippur, ??? and they will write who's going to ??? and ??? and to understand to seal it. No, just...

How do you think that feeling translates into your everyday uh, occupation of ??? people's chests?`

Yeah, it is, it is all uh, a chance, huh. Make it not because--you do certain things because it makes you feel good or, or it is accepted that it's your job, you don't salt or put in too much butter. Most of the time it is, it is talking about before, you cannot control your destiny. To a certain way, yes, eh? I always say it is all chance. You go on the street, you--you're in Manhattan and you run into somebody that you didn't see in Detroit for five years and he's there on the same time on the same street with you. And what a chance that you met. And I say, by the same token, there are many people that just miss you by a second that, on the other street, that you didn't meet. And it's all, you know, chance. You made it or you didn't make it. Or things happen. Or you survive or you don't get certain disease because of your makeup. And no way--can you, can you predict it and no way can you control it.


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