Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Natalie Zamczyk - January 30, 1984

And I came Miendzyrzec Podlaski, this was a little town--not little, but medium. And I was greeted there very nicely by everybody. They didn't have luck with the secretaries, they were coming and leaving. I didn't know why, you know. I didn't ask too many questions. I was only with, one week there. And I came to the city there and, and they were mostly, I was the only woman working in the office. Only men. Engineers, some office workers men and engineers, because they were uh, you know, drafting, you know this, you know. My boss wasn't there, he was away. He was an Austrian man from Austria. Very nice. And I didn't have where to stay so I stayed in special place uh, some workers over there. They said I could have a room there, and I stayed there and uh, there is lots to tell, but I tell you shortly, and I stayed there. And every day, they, they were happy with me in their office, you know, I was doing the job, they dictate to me and I was writing. And uh, I didn't even know there was Jews there. I didn't know there were still Jews in Miendzyrzec Podlaski, you know. I thought that in such a little town that there wouldn't be anymore Jews, but there still were Jews. Even ??? company was employing Jews, you know. They have extra office on the other side, and I saw the men coming out there, all intelligent. I saw on their faces, I saw that they are sophisticated, elegant men, but they were working there, you know, trying to survive, you know. They were very nice. They, they, they greeted me so, you know, because they thought that I am probably German, you know, real German. I make my hair lighter, blond, you know. And I, my heart was going out to them, but I couldn't. I, I have my husband and my son. I wouldn't help him, I would maybe do worse. And I want to save my child. That was my whole goal, my child and my husband. And, you know, and I, and I was working there and they invited me, everybody invited me, somebody else, for a dinner to a different house. Well, I was very nice and I went. And one day I was invited to different man house, you know. He was a driver, a truck driver. He was nice Polish man, you know, was very polite to me. Everybody was very polite because I was, you know, a secretary and stenographer like this who has direct contact with the boss.

Yeah.

You know, they have to be nice to her because I, whatever they want, I have to go to the boss and I have to tell him because he didn't understand Polish, you understand?