Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Larry Wayne - 2005

Rejecting Judaism

When did you start thinking that you no longer wanted to be a Jew?

Oh immediately, right after the war.

And did you talk to Jack and Ruth about it?

Sometimes. But it's again, you're right, why should we suffer for what? We didn't, we didn't do anything.

You don't think that way?

Well at that time, I mean, why, why suffer? What is the big deal, I was not religious, I didn't care.

So this wasn't a question of God.

I beg your pardon?

This wasn't a question about God.

About dying?

About God. The question wasn't, you know, why did God do this?

No, no, no, no, no. That's ??? What kind of God is it that lets six million Jews die--which isn't so bad--but about two million children, innocent children, you know. I mean, that was on my mind. And I know a rabbi can give you all kind of thing. I, I can give you a very wonderful explanation, if it wouldn't be for the Holocaust there might never been an Israel,

[laughs] you know. If you want me to I can be as much pro as con.

But when you think about that, would you have given up your father, mother, and your baby brother and your cousins so there could be an Israel?

At, at, at that... Probably not, no. Or at that time, when I was off and presenting all these kinda things, you know, we were just so closed from whatever happened, that it didn't mean so much when you talked about it after what things happened, you know. So what if I denounce or I, I act like a, a non-Jew. Who will, who would know, I'm coming a free country, nobody knows me. But then right away uh, they sent me to uh, to the Jewish uh, vocational service or whatever it is, you know.


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