Sidy Weiss - January 7, 1987
Introduction
The following is an interview with Mrs. Sidy Weiss, on the morning of January 7th, 1987, at her home in Oak Park, Michigan. The interviewer is Sidney Bolkosky.
Can you tell me your name please and where you're from?
I am Sidy Berger and I am from Radvaň nad Dunajom.
The name of the town again?
Radvaň nad Dunajom.
And where is that near?
That's near Komárno and Bratislava.
And during the war--what, what places were you during the war?
Where I moved during the war? I was two times in Auschwitz, and I was in [pause] where was I? I was two times in Auschwitz, and--I was six weeks in Auschwitz, and after that they took me to Krakow. And from Krakow they were taking me to--back to Auschwitz, after six weeks. And after that they were taking me to [pause]Kra...Krakow then back to Auschwitz, and from there they were taking me to--from Auschwitz they were taking me to...
Well, where were you liberated?
I was liberated in Feldafing.
Feldafing. Okay, and um, were you in a ghetto bef...at the beginning of a war? Was there a ghetto in...
No.
Just straight from, um...
No, they were, they were taking us from there.
From your town, straight to Auschwitz. Was there a railroad there, in your town?
No.
Husband: A few miles.
Just a few miles, right.
Husband: You have everything over here, even from Czechoslovakia yet. Everything, everything. I can give you all the papers to where she is and everything.
[pause] Well let's--we'll come to this, when we...
Husband: Okay.
Um, what do you remember about your life before the war started?
Before the war started?
Before the war. What was life like for you?
What was life for me before the war started? I grew up how do you call that? In a small place, and I was going to school over there and after the school--when the school finished...
[long pause] Well, how large was your family?
We were five.
How many--three children, who, who besides yourself?
I had two more--we were five children.
Brothers and sisters?
Two brothers and three girls.
And your parents?
Yeah.
And uh, was there other members of your family in uh, in your, in your town? Aunts, uncles, grandparents?
Yeah.
How many were there?
I don't know all of them.
Husband: What do you mean you don't know? Your uncle uh, ???, and your aunt over there, and your cousins. ???
??? at this, at this time.
Husband: Yeah.
How many aunts and uncles do you remember?
I remember--how you call it. Wait a minute, how was my life?
You--were your brothers and sisters older than you?
The life before it was like we lived by the--how you called it?
It was a small town?
Yeah.
Yeah. What did your father do?
He was in business.
And was it a religious family, your family?
Yeah. But I am not.
Do you remember what a Friday night was like in your house?
If I remember how was a Friday night?
What was Shabbos like?
Yeah, I remember.
What was it like? Tell me.
It was like uh, how you call it? We sitting by the table Friday night and the candles were on and, [pause] and he always was speaking about--how do you call that?
You can tell me.
Tell me how long this for? Do you want to stop?
Husband: No, no, no. There is, there is her mother and father. Over here.
Over here?
Husband: Right. That's her mother and her father. ??? a little bit of ???
I see.
Husband: ??? She came--the mother came from ??? And I am from this place, it's only three miles--kilometers.
I was, I was going to--how you call it? I was going to school in the old country, and uh, then it uh, [pause] started to [pause] no, I can't, I can't speak. I don't know what happened, I can't speak.
© Board of Regents University of Michigan-Dearborn