Helen Stransky - January 31, 2008
Introduction
The following is an interview with Helen Stransky on January 31, 2008 in Jerusalem, Israel. The interviewer is Sidney Bolkosky.
Can you tell me please your name and where you were born?
My name is Helen Stransky. I was born in Prague Smíchov in the Czech Republic in 1934--May 16, 1934.
Okay and um, do you have any memories from that early time before the war about life in uh, in Prague?
I don't. I was uh, to my knowledge I was only about four years old. Um, I can remember going with my grandfather across the Charles Bridge and looking down at the divers and uh, with huge helmets I guess as they were clearing the river. Um, that's, that's about all.
How large was your family?
Um, I--it was my brother, father and mother and uh, I had--all my family came from there: my grandmother, uncle, nephews, nieces. They all came um, and I'm not sure about my father's family, what--yes I have cousins from them that...
Also from Prague?
...did go to England. Yeah.
Also from Prague?
Yes.
How large do you think--aunts, uncles, grandparents, first cousins, how large do you think?
It was a huge family.
And how many people survived the war?
I've never counted it. Um, they're still turning up. I would say nine or ten.
Nine or ten.
Yes. Some of the family went to California--New York and then California and then uh, my aunt and her uh, my cousins went to Vancouver. Some family went to Chile--San...Santiago, Chile and others went to Australia. They spread out.
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