Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Zofia Szostak - 1985

So since they were not, not considered, not Polish Jews, only uh, had citizenship of Guatemala, which they uh, obtained some place in the black market on the eastern part of Poland, 'cause they were, they probably escaped from, from the place where they were, to eastern part. And then uh, when Russian came they decided that they uh, don't want to be under Russians, so they went back and tried to make some kind of a life, you know, so they could still lead quite official life. And they were able to go to ghetto, you know, quite openly and, who knows, maybe, you know, what kind of a business she was, she was doing over there. And maybe just bringing some food... maybe she was just- maybe she was just bringing some kind of the news, you know, uh, to the people of ghetto, I don't know. But they stayed in, in the other side of the house and uh, we shared the kitchen, and, and we shared many, many pleasant evenings, you know? They were, they were very nice people and uh, all of sudden, Mrs. Brown and Dr., Dr. ??? told us that uh, they probably are going to be shipped to some kind of a...not camp, she didn't say camp ???, you know, just like a place, place almost like a resort, you know? This is what they, they were told. At the border between Germany and, and Switzerland, and then after a little while, when they will get uh, get themselves a little together, because they were all very nervous and everything, they will be transported to Switzerland. In the beginning they believed, but then after a little while when they uh, they start liquidating one ghetto and another one, you know...Uh, they started being very, very uneasy, you know. The Germans really believed that they, they are uh, different, you know, not Polish citizens, and maybe they were getting some kind of a news already about something. And one evening we were sitting, and uh, Dr. ???, when uh, his mother went to sleep, he stay with us, and he was, he was saying, "I really do not care any more what will happen." You know, I think he was, he was just beginning to be either depressed or breaking down or, or something. And this is what, what he said, "I don't care, I am very tired. Let happen with me whatever, if they want to take me over there, they will take me. If not, I'm, I'm, I am just, I will let them do what...whatever they want with me." And then uh, Mrs. Brown told me--not me, but my, my parents--and she ask if uh, they expected the Germans would not take them during the day, only maybe they will come at night, because this was their way of arresting, at night. You know, you couldn't escape because there was a curfew, anybody, you know, if you were escaping, they would shoot you. Was, was that much more difficult. So they were doing this mostly at night. And they ask if uh, Eva could sleep in our section of, of, of our house.