Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Berek Rothenberg - May 20, 1984

Contact with Brother in Camp

It happened that I had my brother in another camp and I was working with a Polack in Skarżysko, and uh, and I said to this Polack uh, so he asked me, "What town are you?" I said, "I am from Sandomierz in Salzburg." "Oh," he said, "I'm going over there Saturday by train, and I'm going to buy some wheat," because my hometown was very known for wheat. It's a wonderful--I said, "We live by a Gentile family. Why don't you walk into this Gentile family, ask them if somebody survive from my family?" And he went into this uh, Gentile family, he says, "Is somebody from the Rothenberg survive?" She said, "Yes, one son is in the--in this and this camp, about two miles away--so near, near the Jewish cemetery." So he went over there and he contact by the wire for my brother. My brother came over he says--so my brother says to this Polack, he says--the Polack says, "You know, I am with Berek in the, in the camp, I work with him. Only I can go out and in, he can't." He said, "Oh good." So he give him some money, he give him a letter, and he came, and he says to me, "Berek, you know what? I found your brother." Oh my God. My brother alive--he's alive, fine. He says, "He want you one thing, here's a, here's a letter." And my brother wrote me a letter, "Berek, give--send me a list from every name from our home town is with you." And so I took--I know who's with me and I took the whole names from my hometown. And I give to this Polack--it was a, a righteous Polack. And he--every week and he went and the mail went like this, and he went and he knew where to meet my brother behind the wires over here. And then my brother contacted all people who had relatives or friends or neighbors or cousins or and they all--we were related because it was a small town. We're all related or if--through marriage or through family--through blood, you know. And my brother connected with everything and, and he brought me a bunch of letters. And I will tell you I am a--not an honest, or I am a scared. If you search me, and if I have something on me, I, I'm very--so, so was one from my hometown--his name was Berek also, Teitelbaum. I said "Look, you know what?" I said, "Here's the letters. You are working all the time days and I work one week night and one week day." I introduced him to this Polack and, "You take over the mailing." And he took over the mailing.


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