Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Natalie Zamczyk - January 30, 1984

Russians Arrive

Yeah.

So in Ger... No, I was working longer. I was working, yeah, maybe two months, you know, something like this. Two months, you know. So I was working there, and I was living uh, by the lady and then the Russian came, you know. The Russian came and we were very happy, but nobody was happy like I was happy, you know. They didn't know that I am Jewish and the girl that was staying with me, she didn't know either, you know. I didn't want, they didn't stop here, maybe the German will come back, you know.

Sure.

And that's what I was, you know. But after they came, you know, we were four women, me, the friend what was staying with me, the young woman what were in the house and her daughter teenager, maybe fourteen years old. We had to run away for two days. Because they were the first German, the German, I mean the Russian. They, they were, were doing terrible things, you know. So we had to go to some town stay for two days. After we came back. And later I told my friend, I am going back home, I am going back to Warsaw. And I went back to Warsaw. We had to take a ride with the trucks, you know. I was walking, I fainted. Listen, lots. And we came to Warsaw. We came to the building where I was living and I saw the all uh, all the windows was with a board. Where is my child? I was terrified, I was terrible, you know, I was frozen. It was terrible cold winter. I wasn't even ri...right dressed, you know. And I went, the caretaker also, and I went, she didn't recognize me. I asked him about. Mr. Kazinski, yeah, he went to his son and she give me the address. Who are you, why are you interested? So I took the shawl, I had a big shawl. And she look at me, she still didn't recognize me. I say, I am a mother of the...she, you know, like the Polish people, she crossed herself, oh, I talked to him not long time ago. He came here with uh, with Mr. Kazinski and I ask him, your mother, you know. He said, I know that my mother will come, I know that my mother will come, you know. And we went there, we walked, I never walked in the town somehow. And we came there and the house was full of people, because the people were emigrating all over. Warsaw was completely demolished, you know. The people had...so there were lots of people. This man, when he saw me, he fell to knee and kissed my, that I'm back home. That he's still alive and he can take care of those sick men, you know.


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