Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Miriam Troostwyk - May 28, 1998 and June 3, 1999

So your, your father registered then is that--you think? Because they knew he was Jewish, so he must have registered.

Yeah. Everybody knew we were Jewish and we didn't go to school on the Jewish holy days. And there was a big sign uh, when you went--want to go to the swimming pool. It was the time that they started to uh, with swimming lessons. I had one swimming lesson. And I remember I went with my sister to the swimming pool and we got the money back from uh, the lessons, because it was not allowed to go ???.

Jews were not allowed.

And I was swimming the first time with my girlfriend Toos...

Uh-huh.

and we had a lot of fun. We were with maybe ten or so around, sitting in the water and we had to do this, just sitting. And it was a lot of fun. And that was it, because the second time there was a sign uh, "Jews not allowed."

Uh-huh.

And uh, so we got the money back. So I wasn't very sad about all these things, not at all. I was uh, wondering why I couldn't go to school because I was Jewish, I just was wondering.

Uh-huh.

And then the Jewish...

And did you ask...

school started.

did you ask your parents about it?

No, because I knew they were chasing Jewish people.

But...

And that's what...

But you...

and my mother and father always told me.

But you didn't know why?

No.

Yeah.

What is it?

Well, I don't know why, either.

Yeah, we didn't know why, so...

Um...

They didn't tell me about uh, that in churches they said that uh, Jesus--or uh, all these things they didn't tell me as a child, no.

Hm.

So I didn't go to swimming lesson, okay. I didn't go to swimming, that's fine, so...

Did you have a bicycle?

Yes, but we didn't--we were not allowed to go on the bicycle. I had the bicycle from my sister and uh, they putted a big ??? on it that I could reach it. And uh, we had to give away the bicycle, so I was with my step, I went to Jewish school.

With your step?

My, my...

Like a scooter?

parents uh, bought me a step. You know what a step is?

It's like a scooter, one foot?

Yes.

Yeah.

You--well, you do it with one foot...

Yeah ???.

no motor, no motor, no motor.

Right, it's called a scooter.

Yeah.

Yes, uh-huh.

So I went to Jewish school. But the Jewish school was in a Christian building and it--about to walk nearly half an hour from us. That's why I had that step. And I went to public school that was merely five minutes from us.