Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Lanka Ilkow - October 12, 1991

Grandfather (continued)

Oh, well, my grandfather used to sing to me when uh, when I was a child. I remember, you know. And he...

J...Jewish songs.

Jewish songs and he uh, Russian. Always he was singing as the Cossacks was coming uh, on the horses and uh, the flags they was, the red flags they was lifting up and so on. And he was singing and if Jews was, they knew to see a Jew, they, a bayonet they stuck in him. They wasn't going and killing Jews, but they went, saw Jews they, they was killing uh, that time. So he always told me that Europe is not a place to stay for Jews because they kill Jews.

When you were in the camps, did you remember him telling you that?

Yeah, al...always. Oh, I prayed to my grandfather all the time. I always said, "Zeidee, help me. Zeidee." Even now, "Halt mich di rechte Hand" ??? Hold over me the right hand. All the time. If I'm--something, disappointed or so, I al...I, I always do that, I don't know. But, it's may be crazy but tha...I do that. I think that he's listening to me because he loved me so much. So, uh.


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