Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Natalie Zamczyk - January 30, 1984

Does he know what happened to his father?

Oh yeah, he knows everything, yeah, he knew everything. He knew everything, he knew everything, he knew too, you know, when I was with him--where was this, yeah--when it was so bad, he was asking me, once he asked me a question. I think that we were in Russia, he asked me a question. Momma, mamushu-mamushu in Poland is mommy, you know--tell me, I don't understand, where is God? Can you explain me? That was his question. Where is God, why my grandmother, my grandfather, they are so good. They didn't do nothing wrong to nobody. Why they get killed? And, and Tante Sela Why my daddy? My daddy helped everybody. Where is the God? Tell me, momma, where is the God? So I tell you, he will give you the hardest questions, I can't answer. But you have to believe in it because we have long way to go. And at the end when we survive, you will see that God exists. So that's what I told my child, yeah. He has, had very... This child was traveling, when I saw there is something bad, I put him in some place. And God was watching on us because I put in once, when I went to Warsaw I put him once in a place, I couldn't find another place so I put him in this place, there was Germans there, you know. Not Jewish, you know. This was a place and she had two Jewish women there. And that's only place what I could, there was danger, I had to put him for two days. So she said, so I said, I don't like it, they have two Jewish women here, the child, something could happen. She said, I'm sorry, that's all. And she told me the price. And it was very expensive. So I said, oh my God, I haven't got so much. I was selling everything what I have left.

Yeah.

I, I, I can't pay so much, maybe you can charge me cheaper. And this boy was standing, my son. And she said, I'm sorry, I can't. So she answered, mamushu, please come, I can stay with you. Don't worry, what happen it happen, she said. We can't spend all the money because we are not going to have it for a piece of bread. That's what he... Poor little boy. So this woman heard this, was, so she said to me, leave him. That's what you offer, you pay me, leave him. And I left him. And he was staying there I think maybe three days. And I already was coming back, I quit the work this time in ??? you know, the first time I quit the work. And I was coming, and I was coming and I stop at my friend and I said to her, you know what, and I have to go to that, stay to the man what his wife was, he told me to come and stay there for a week. I'm telling you this as extra, extra, this is bar...bargain, you know, bar...bonus and she, and she said to me, she said to me, why are you going now? Said, you know what, I'm--it's afternoon, I'm something nervous. I'm going to call him if he came back, because he was... I call him, he was back, say you can come right now. So I said okay. I said to my friend, you know what, I am going right now. This was in Warsaw. I'm going right now and pick up. He said, why are you picking him up early? I don't know, it was two Jewish women there. I'm afraid. Maybe she has somebody else took it. I'm scared, I'm very scared. I don't know. I'm going now, pick up Morris and I'm going to, to Mr. this and this and this.