Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

• Contents
• Map
• Pictures

Helen Stransky - January 31, 2008

So you were in Los Angeles for thirteen years. What made you decide to leave Los Angeles?

Um, I'd become a strong believer--Christian believer and um, I felt that there was a future for Israel. A fellow that I had dated, he told me there was a future for, for Jews and the Messiah would come to Israel and rule there at one time and to read through the Bible and see for myself, which I did. Uh, not only that but I was going to a Baptist church there too and I suppose that turned me on and also the book Exodus so I figured there was a future for, for Jews in, in Israel and I came here with that--expecting to set down roots here in, in Israel.

Did you convert to Judaism?

No.

So you came as a, as a Baptist?

No, not as a Baptist. Um, I would just say as a believer in Christ because I didn't, you know, know um, and I still do.

And you belong to a church here?

Well, I go to this King of Kings over at uh, the ??? Building that's um, non...marked non-denominational.

So it's a community church.

Yes.

So how long have you been in Israel?

Well, I came in '69...

Wow.

...and I went back in '72 because I was depressed. Um, anybody that I uh, I just felt that I didn't have the right foundation um, and I didn't know what--I'd sort of lost faith and needed to renew myself, which I did. I went back for five years.

To the United States?

Mm-hm.

To Los Angeles?

To Los Angeles, yeah. It was the only place I knew.