Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Natalie Zamczyk - January 30, 1984

Oh.

That, and later I found out that the young people were going to concentration camps. All for killing or for--because they were, you know, rebellion, you know, and I was free. I went for, they tooked us to a different village. They were really poor people there, poor people. They didn't have alone what to eat and they were keeping us for two days. And later I left, you know. I was there for two days and I found somebody else there also. I didn't have shoes even. So somebody gave me--some soldiers, German soldiers throw us their thing, they give me shoes, you know, like the wooden shoe. And after that I see a good, I didn't have money but I had a diamond, sew, always. ??? and I had sew in the bra, diamond. Here in the bra. Maybe I shouldn't tell you. I had sew and I thought myself, that's the only thing. So I asked where is the next, next city here, bigger city. They told me Czestochowa. You know this. So I went there after two days, I think, and I went there because we could travel free, you know, all the people, all the people from the uprising, the Polish uprising because they were uh, they, they, they were uh, in different places. They were mis...they didn't see the, you know, everybody was in different places. And the bombard, the bombard uh, that, what they bombard and so forth, their families were uh, not united, you understand? The people were looking, the Christian people, you know, the Gentiles...

Yeah.

...they were looking for their families, you know. Everybody was in different place. So they were able to travel free. So I went there to Czestochowa, free. And there I sold the diamond, you know. Before that I wouldn't go because they would think, what she saving diamond. But this time they were coming Gentile, rich people, what they had some belongings, they were selling, so I sold this.

This was when? What year?

This was in '44

Okay.

In '44. Yeah, '44. And we went there and uh, I sold this and I found a place, some place, a room, and... I, and somebody told me that--maybe I should tell you. No, no, no. Not for Jewish people. Okay, so I stayed there for two days maybe and later I, I start to travel. I travel maybe six or two months from place to place going to look if they, what happened from Praga, if the--my child is some place. I even went to a church. Somebody told me, go to this church, this is a big city, something was, I don't remember. And I went to the priest and I told him that I am looking for my son and I don't know if he is there or if he's staying on Praga. So he's, okay, he was very nice man. He said, okay, give the name and I will call every Sunday from the pulpit to the people the name of the boy, whoever know should bring here to my, to my uh, church and I will keep that child--he got, he gave me the address--I will keep the child and as long you don't come, I will keep the child, you know.