Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Natalie Zamczyk - January 30, 1984

Yeah, yeah.

You know, so we took our children and we went back home to Podgorze, you know. And the husband wasn't there, but I opened the store. But I had to put a Mogen Dovid on the store, you know. And this time I already saw. Because I had a boy, uh, uh, not boy, a man--who was working in our store. He was with my husband for, I don't know how many years. He was very devoted. He was Christian though, such a nice boy. And he, and he put the, after a few days when we were over, put the Mogen Dovid, a little one on the window. And some of our neighbors came, and this was the first time what I myself saw what is going on. And he said, no, this is not enough. You are Jewish and you have to put a big that everybody could see it.

Oh.

You know. So this time I saw. I said, what is your business. He said, that's my business. That's what is the end of you, you know. And that... And we have a caretaker in our house, which went out and was hollering that, don't listen to the owners, they are not owners anymore. I am here. Everything belongs to German, not to the Jews. And this was apartment house of uh, of uh, my mother-in-law.

Yeah.

Yeah, she was alive, yeah. Yeah, so that's it, so.

How long did you keep your business open?

I keep my business open, oh, maybe...wait a moment, we went in '42. I keep my business open 'til '41, I think. And later my husband moved the business outside the town, you know, under different name.

Mm-hm.

Under different name, a man, a friend of ours. And he took the business under the name, but my husband was working there as a...

I see.

...employ...employee, you know.

Was it a Gentile?

Yeah, he was a Gentile, yeah. He was a Gentile, he was a wonderful man, yeah. Her father was a judge in Krakow and he was friend of my brother-in-law, because he was a lawyer.

Oh.

So he was a nice person, and he was there. He was coming there, but my husband was working. This helped us also, yeah. It's lots to tell how I moved the things... This is lots to tell you, it's no use.

No.

It's no use, no, it's no use because this would take a long, long time. You are interested probably more about where I went, what I did.

I'm interested in all of it.

Yeah.

Don't worry.