By the end of 1942 my husband had become an active member of an underground organization, acting in the Kaunas ghetto. It was a strong and large organization, which had infiltrated all the authorities of the ghetto, including the Jewish police. They warned people of the coming actions so that as many Jews as possible could be saved. My husband also was on assignments of the underground. He got weapons and brought them into the ghetto. I don’t know whether the people from the underground were involved in the organization of the insurrection in our ghetto, but they had been provided with weapons by 1944.
- Traditions 11756
- Language spoken 3019
- Identity 7808
- Description of town 2440
- Education, school 8506
- Economics 8772
- Work 11672
- Love & romance 4929
- Leisure/Social life 4159
- Antisemitism 4822
-
Major events (political and historical)
4256
- Armenian genocide 2
- Doctor's Plot (1953) 178
- Soviet invasion of Poland 31
- Siege of Leningrad 86
- The Six Day War 4
- Yom Kippur War 2
- Ataturk's death 5
- Balkan Wars (1912-1913) 35
- First Soviet-Finnish War 37
- Occupation of Czechoslovakia 1938 83
- Invasion of France 9
- Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact 65
- Varlik Vergisi (Wealth Tax) 36
- First World War (1914-1918) 216
- Spanish flu (1918-1920) 14
- Latvian War of Independence (1918-1920) 4
- The Great Depression (1929-1933) 20
- Hitler comes to power (1933) 127
- 151 Hospital 1
- Fire of Thessaloniki (1917) 9
- Greek Civil War (1946-49) 12
- Thessaloniki International Trade Fair 5
- Annexation of Bukovina to Romania (1918) 7
- Annexation of Northern Bukovina to the Soviet Union (1940) 19
- The German invasion of Poland (1939) 94
- Kishinev Pogrom (1903) 7
- Romanian Annexation of Bessarabia (1918) 25
- Returning of the Hungarian rule in Transylvania (1940-1944) 43
- Soviet Occupation of Bessarabia (1940) 59
- Second Vienna Dictate 27
- Estonian war of independence 3
- Warsaw Uprising 2
- Soviet occupation of the Balitc states (1940) 147
- Austrian Civil War (1934) 9
- Anschluss (1938) 71
- Collapse of Habsburg empire 3
- Dollfuß Regime 3
- Emigration to Vienna before WWII 36
- Kolkhoz 131
- KuK - Königlich und Kaiserlich 40
- Mineriade 1
- Post War Allied occupation 7
- Waldheim affair 5
- Trianon Peace Treaty 12
- NEP 56
- Russian Revolution 351
- Ukrainian Famine 199
- The Great Terror 283
- Perestroika 233
- 22nd June 1941 468
- Molotov's radio speech 115
- Victory Day 147
- Stalin's death 365
- Khrushchev's speech at 20th Congress 148
- KGB 62
- NKVD 153
- German occupation of Hungary (18-19 March 1944) 45
- Józef Pilsudski (until 1935) 33
- 1956 revolution 84
- Prague Spring (1968) 73
- 1989 change of regime 174
- Gomulka campaign (1968) 81
-
Holocaust
9685
- Holocaust (in general) 2789
- Concentration camp / Work camp 1235
- Mass shooting operations 337
- Ghetto 1183
- Death / extermination camp 647
- Deportation 1063
- Forced labor 791
- Flight 1410
- Hiding 594
- Resistance 121
- 1941 evacuations 866
- Novemberpogrom / Kristallnacht 34
- Eleftherias Square 10
- Kasztner group 1
- Pogrom in Iasi and the Death Train 21
- Sammelwohnungen 9
- Strohmann system 11
- Struma ship 17
- Life under occupation 803
- Yellow star house 72
- Protected house 15
- Arrow Cross ("nyilasok") 42
- Danube bank shots 6
- Kindertransport 26
- Schutzpass / false papers 95
- Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (1943) 24
- Warsaw Uprising (1944) 23
- Helpers 521
- Righteous Gentiles 269
- Returning home 1090
- Holocaust compensation 112
- Restitution 109
- Property (loss of property) 595
- Loss of loved ones 1724
- Trauma 1029
- Talking about what happened 1807
- Liberation 558
- Military 3322
- Politics 2640
-
Communism
4468
- Life in the Soviet Union/under Communism (in general) 2592
- Anti-communist resistance in general 63
- Nationalization under Communism 221
- Illegal communist movements 98
- Systematic demolitions under communism 45
- Communist holidays 311
- Sentiments about the communist rule 930
- Collectivization 94
- Experiences with state police 349
- Prison/Forced labor under communist/socialist rule 449
- Lack or violation of human and citizen rights 483
- Life after the change of the regime (1989) 493
- Israel / Palestine 2190
- Zionism 847
- Jewish Organizations 1200
Displaying 42961 - 42990 of 84581 results
Meine Mutter war Schneiderin. Sie arbeitete zu Hause, was aber in der kleinen Wohnung nicht einfach war, denn sie konnte nie etwas liegen lassen. Sie musste alles immerzu hin - und herräumen. Ein Mädchen aus dem Waldviertel kochte und beaufsichtigte uns Kinder.
Austria
Bevor ich in die Schule kam, ging ich in einen jüdischen Kindergarten. Ich glaube, der Kindergarten war in der Othmargasse [20. Bezirk]. Ich bin darauf gekommen durch eine Ausstellung im 20. Bezirk beim Augarten [10], innerhalb des Projektes 'Augarten'. Im Ausstellungskatalog wurde der Kindergarten erwähnt und es ist auch ein Foto dabei. Das war der erste, nicht religiöse jüdische Kindergarten - so habe ich das verstanden. Ich kann mich aber nur ganz dunkel an den Kindergarten erinnern, denn das ist alles schon 80 Jahre her.
I vaguely remember the fall holidays. When we were living in the old apartment by the synagogue, there was a sukkah made by the neighbors in our yard and we also went there. I remember the holiday of Simchat Torah when Jews would joyfully carry the Torah scroll. My brother and I were able to watch those holidays, when we were living by the synagogue, but those holidays weren’t celebrated at our place.
Chane, die Schwester meiner Mutter, hatte in Tarnopol einen Herrn Pelc geheiratet. Der Herr Pelc war sehr nett. Er besaß irgendein Geschäft, das er aber auflassen musste. Was für ein Geschäft es war, weiß ich nicht. Sie hatten drei Kinder: Malke, Ester und Hersch. Da sie kein Geld mehr hatten, mussten sie ihre Wohnung aufgeben und zur Großmutter ziehen, die aber auch nur Platz in der Küche hatte. Tante Chane kam dann einige Monate zu meiner Mutter nach Wien und lernte ein wenig das Schneiderhandwerk. Meine Mutter unterstützte immer finanziell ihre arme Familie in Galizien. Alle wurden ermordet, meine Tante Chane, ihr Mann und die drei Kinder.
For Purim my mother always baked very tasty hamantashen with curds. On those days Jews brought presents to each other – shelakhmones. Trays with desserts were brought to us from Mother’s friends and she sent presents in her turn. A chanukkiyah was lit at home on Chanukkah. It was put in the window in accordance with the traditions. Potato fritters were also made. There was a feast in the evening.
There were all traditional products on the table: eggs, potatoes, some bitter herbs etc. Of course the table was lavishly laid with festive dishes, cooked by my mother. She cooked delicious kneydlakh made of onion, fried with chicken and goose fat, eggs, matzah flour and chicken broth, boiled in chicken broth. There was always gefilte fish, chicken stew and all kinds of tsimes [10]. Mother cooked great imberlakh – a Jewish dish, made of carrots and ginger, boiled with sugar before thickening, put in layers on the board and cut in different shapes. Mother also baked cake from beet with nuts, a scrumptious sponge cake from matzah flour. Well in advance Father made wine from hops, honey and raisins. Mother also made teyglakh – honey and sugar boiled in syrup with ginger and a pinch of lemon acid, made in different shapes: rolls and spirals.
We celebrated Jewish holidays at home. I remember Pesach best of all. The house was prepared for the occasion well in advance: cleaning, dusting, polishing, dressing the windows with beautiful curtains, putting a beautiful table-cloth on the table. The dishes were well taken care of. There was a special set of Pascal dishes, stored in a certain cupboard. The rest of the dishes were given to some Jews to make them kosher: they soaked them in some tub and then deterged them with sand. Matzah was brought from the synagogue in a large hamper covered with a cloth. No special rites in connection with the banishment of chametz were conducted in our house. I asked Father the four traditional questions, as I was the youngest in the family, during the first seder.
1917 wollten meine Eltern heiraten. Für die Hochzeit brauchte meine Mutter ihren Geburtsschein. Da sie aber geboren wurde, als sich ihre Eltern illegal in Russland aufgehalten hatten, war sie nicht registriert worden, und es existierte kein Geburtsschein. Ohne Geburtsschein konnte meine Mutter in Wien nicht heiraten. Ihre Mutter schickte ihr daraufhin den Geburtsschein ihrer Nichte Chinje Elke, der Tochter ihrer Schwester Ruchel. So heiratete meine Mutter mit dem Geburtsschein ihrer Cousine. Meine Großmutter und meine Tante Chane kamen aus Tarnopol nach Wien zur Hochzeit, die im Klucky-Tempel, im 20. Bezirk, stattfand. Der Vater meiner Mutter, Melamed Wolfzahn, war so fromm, dass er nicht nach Wien kam. Er sagte: 'Wien ist trejf [9], in Wien sind sogar die Steiner [Steine] trejf.
Sabbath wasn’t celebrated at home the way it was in traditional families. Though, my mother did her best. She baked challot, put wine and candles on the table, lit the candles herself. On Saturday there was always a festive dinner, but Father didn’t go to the synagogue, moreover he had to work as Saturday was a working day at the brewery. Only when Grandmother Hana-Beila, who celebrated Sabbath, came to us from Kaunas, the whole family was at the table, and Grandmother said a prayer. Grandmother died in the early 1930s. I was very sick at that time and Mother couldn’t leave me. Father went to his mother’s funeral by himself. Grandmother was buried in accordance with the Jewish rites. The mourning period was also observed.
My parents weren’t religious, though they kept up the traditions. Meat was bought only in kosher stores. Chicken and other poultry were always taken to a shochet. Sometimes Mother bought a tidbit-pork ham. She kept it in paper and gave it to me and my brother when nobody was around so that the neighbors wouldn’t see. When I said that we couldn’t eat pork, Mother gave me a surprised look and said, ‘Where do you see pork, it’s ham!
Mein Vater hatte ein oder zwei Jahre eine Ausbildung als Buchhalter in Deutschland gemacht. Das war vor dem 1. Weltkrieg, bevor er nach Wien übersiedelte. Seine Muttersprache war Jiddisch, aber durch die Zeit in Deutschland sprach er ein sehr gutes Deutsch. 1914 kam er nach Wien. Er diente während des 1. Weltkrieges [1914-1918] in der k. u. k. Armee.
,
Before WW2
See text in interview
On weekend our whole family often went out together. There was a central park in front of our house. It was shady and beautiful. There was a chestnut alley not far from it. In summer Father rented a dacha [9] for us a room and veranda in Pagegiai [about 200 km from Vilnius]. It was a splendid place, with seven lakes in a row. Mother was good at kayaking. Every day she and I swam in the lakes. Sometimes she put us in the kayak. My parents were great swimmers. Special belts were made from corks for my brother and me. Soon we also learned how to swim. As a rule Father came over to us for a weekend and we had picnics in the garden or in the forest.
Father’s friends also belonged to the middle class. As a rule, husbands worked and their spouses were housewives. Mother’s friends came over every once in a while. They had tea or coffee with Mother’s pies, browsed fashionable magazines and played cards. Women met once a week. Each of them received guests in turns. Sometimes they went out to eat ice-cream and drink liqueur. Mother often took me with her. She was a fashionable lady. She had her clothes made by the best milliner in Siauliai. She enjoyed shopping. She liked stores that sold readymade goods and haberdashery. Mother always went to the store where threads, yarn and knitting needles were on offer. The owner of the store gave classes on needlework to beginners.
,
Before WW2
See text in interview
1914 begann der 1. Weltkrieg. Gleich zu Beginn des Krieges, meine Mutter war gerade 17 Jahre alt, schickte ihre Mutter sie aus Angst vor den russischen Soldaten, die die Grenze zu Galizien überschritten hatten, nach Wien in die Reichshauptstadt. Gemeinsam mit einer Familie aus Tarnopol flüchtete meine Mutter über Budapest nach Wien. Verwandte, die in Wien lebten, nahmen sie auf. Sie arbeitete zuerst in einer Schneiderei, in der Uniformen und Handschuhe für die k. u. k. Armee [8] genäht wurden. Dann arbeitete sie für die Familie des Chuschtschatener Rebben, der, als der 1. Weltkrieg begann, auch nach Wien geflohen war. Sie musste erleben, dass dieser Rabbiner, der ein großes Vorbild für ihren Vater war, der sein letztes Geld diesem Rabbiner gebracht hatte, seine Anhänger schlecht behandelte. Die Angestellten wurden sehr schlecht bezahlt, und er war so schrecklich geizig, dass er nicht einmal den ganz Armen etwas gab. Das erschütterte den Glauben meiner Mutter sehr. Ab dieser Zeit lebte sie nur noch wie eine traditionelle Jüdin.
1914 begann der 1. Weltkrieg. Gleich zu Beginn des Krieges, meine Mutter war gerade 17 Jahre alt, schickte ihre Mutter sie aus Angst vor den russischen Soldaten, die die Grenze zu Galizien überschritten hatten, nach Wien in die Reichshauptstadt. Gemeinsam mit einer Familie aus Tarnopol flüchtete meine Mutter über Budapest nach Wien. Verwandte, die in Wien lebten, nahmen sie auf. Sie arbeitete zuerst in einer Schneiderei, in der Uniformen und Handschuhe für die k. u. k. Armee [8] genäht wurden. Dann arbeitete sie für die Familie des Chuschtschatener Rebben, der, als der 1. Weltkrieg begann, auch nach Wien geflohen war. Sie musste erleben, dass dieser Rabbiner, der ein großes Vorbild für ihren Vater war, der sein letztes Geld diesem Rabbiner gebracht hatte, seine Anhänger schlecht behandelte. Die Angestellten wurden sehr schlecht bezahlt, und er war so schrecklich geizig, dass er nicht einmal den ganz Armen etwas gab. Das erschütterte den Glauben meiner Mutter sehr. Ab dieser Zeit lebte sie nur noch wie eine traditionelle Jüdin.
Mein Vater hatte ein oder zwei Jahre eine Ausbildung als Buchhalter in Deutschland gemacht. Das war vor dem 1. Weltkrieg, bevor er nach Wien übersiedelte. Seine Muttersprache war Jiddisch, aber durch die Zeit in Deutschland sprach er ein sehr gutes Deutsch. 1914 kam er nach Wien. Er diente während des 1. Weltkrieges [1914-1918] in der k. u. k. Armee.
Mein Vater hatte ein oder zwei Jahre eine Ausbildung als Buchhalter in Deutschland gemacht. Das war vor dem 1. Weltkrieg, bevor er nach Wien übersiedelte. Seine Muttersprache war Jiddisch, aber durch die Zeit in Deutschland sprach er ein sehr gutes Deutsch. 1914 kam er nach Wien. Er diente während des 1. Weltkrieges [1914-1918] in der k. u. k. Armee.
,
Before WW2
See text in interview
The lyceum wasn’t far from home. My brother’s friend lived close by. His parents owned a cab and they usually gave us a lift with their son. Once, in winter time, when it was frosty, the three of us came to the lyceum, but my brother and I weren’t let in. It turned out that Father left on a trip and didn’t manage to make the payment. My brother and I had to walk back home across the town. When Father came back, he was furious. I had never seen him in such a frenzy. He went to the lyceum right away and took our documents. The headmaster of the lyceum understood his fault and tried to correct the situation. He came to my father with his apologies, but Father wasn’t willing to listen. He hired teachers for us, who came home and crammed us for the Lithuanian lyceum. In summer 1929 my brother and I entered it rather easily. He went to the boys’ and I went to the girls’ lyceum.
My parents mostly spoke Russian at home. Mother knew Yiddish, but Russian was closer to her. Of course, I understood Yiddish as my father tried speaking it with me. There was a Jewish school by the synagogue and my brother and I went there. I went to that elementary school for two years. Subjects were taught in Yiddish. There were several Jewish schools and lyceums in Siauliai. When I grew up a little bit, Father made arrangements for my brother and me to be transferred to the Jewish lyceum. Here I started studying a language that was new to me: Hebrew. It was a prestigious institution. Father had to spend a lot of money on my tuition. I don’t remember the precise amount.
We had all kinds of modern novelties in the kitchen. In that period of time people started canning food. Father bought a German apparatus with jars and glass lids. Mother made stewed fruit and canned them. Then she put them in a special boiler. We had a fridge in the kitchen: a special crate, where a metal box with ice was put. The ice was brought from the brewery. When it melted, more ice was brought again in a couple of days. There was a special cooler for pickles in the cellar. Father made them. He salted tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage in large barrels and stored them in the cellar.
Father started making pretty good money and we felt it. We acquired a beautiful grand piano made of mahogany. Mother played it. My brother and I were taught music at home. Besides, I had an English tutor, who came over to us. We had a housekeeper: a Russian lady, Nina, but my mother, a great cook, didn’t let her cook without her guidance. She spent a lot of time in the kitchen. Food was cooked on primus stoves – there were several of them in the kitchen. There was also a stove, where Mother baked different pies, cakes – tartlets, rolls and all kinds of desserts. I still consider her cake ‘Napoleon’ to be the acme of culinary art. Mother cooked Jewish and Ukrainian dishes. She made wonderful borscht with garlic pies, vareniki [a kind of stuffed dumpling] with meat stuffing, curds and potatoes. Puffy meat patties were always served with broth. I don’t know what kind of cuisine that is.
We had a four-room apartment. My parents purchased new furniture. There was a beautiful carved cupboard in the drawing-room as well as a table, chairs and a sofa with silken upholstery. The bedroom furniture was made from nut wood – a wide queen-size bed, mirror, dresser and large wardrobe with a mirror. There was not too much furniture in the small dining-room: a table with chairs, a small round table, where the telephone and address book were placed. Mother embroidered very well and she decorated the room with embroidered pictures and cushions and white starched laced table-cloths.
Soon Father was given an apartment near the brewery and we moved to a new place. The office of the brewery was located in the former mansion of some respectable countess. It was a beautiful two-storied building with a yard, fence and a gate. There was a 24-hour security guard by the gate. It was closed for the night and the guard would walk around the yard with a dog and didn’t let in any outsiders. The office of the brewery was on the first floor together with the small premises of a music school. There were several apartments for the employees of the brewery on the top floor.
Meine Eltern lernten sich bereits in Tarnopol kennen. Mein Vater war sehr verliebt in meine Mutter. Er schrieb meiner Großmutter sogar Gedichte; so warb er um sie.
,
Before WW2
See text in interview
Onkel Selig war Greißler und hatte ein Geschäft in der Lemberger Gasse in Tarnopol. Er wurde im Holocaust ermordet.
Tante Eidel war die jüngste Schwester. Sie war mit Leo Weimann verheiratet und hatte fünf Kinder: Regine, Ruza, Jenny, Arthur und Jakob. Tante Eidel starb vor dem Holocaust und der Onkel Leo lebte in Wien bei seiner Tochter Ruza. Ich erinnere mich an ihn als einen sehr würdigen, grauhaarigen alten Mann. Womit er sein Geld als junger Mann verdient hatte, weiß ich nicht. Ich habe ihn nur als Pensionisten gekannt. Nach dem Krieg war er nicht mehr da, er wurde sicher ermordet. Meine Cousine Ruza war mit Herrn Bromberger verheiratet. Sie hatten eine Tochter Edith. Edith hatte zwei Kinder. Die sind in die Vereinigten Staaten geflohen, genaueres weiß ich nicht.
Regine heiratete Herrn Fleischer. Sie hatte zwei Kinder: Sonja und Martin. Alle flüchteten vor dem Holocaust nach England. Sonja Fleischer, die meine Frau und ich einmal in England besuchten, hatte eine Tochter Rosalin. Martin lebt auch in England, hat fünf Kinder und ist ein sehr frommer Mann, ein Lubawitscher Chassid [7].
Regine heiratete Herrn Fleischer. Sie hatte zwei Kinder: Sonja und Martin. Alle flüchteten vor dem Holocaust nach England. Sonja Fleischer, die meine Frau und ich einmal in England besuchten, hatte eine Tochter Rosalin. Martin lebt auch in England, hat fünf Kinder und ist ein sehr frommer Mann, ein Lubawitscher Chassid [7].
There was an old building of a confectionary in front of our house. So it smelled like sweet caramel in our block. There was a military unit and an orchestra in the yard of our house. My brother and I enjoyed listening to bravura marches and waltzes they played almost every day. Our apartment was rather small, consisting of two rooms: my parents’ bedroom and the room I shared with my brother. At first, it seemed to me that father didn’t make that much money in Siauliai, as my mother did the house chores and cooking.
Tante Dobrosch war die Älteste der Geschwister. Über sie weiß ich nur, dass sie keine Kinder hatte und im Holocaust ermordet wurde.
Die zweitälteste Schwester meines Vaters hieß Sara, jiddisch Salke. Sie war Schneiderin und verheiratet mit dem Kaufmann Meschillem Lewinter. Sie hatten drei Kinder: Fani, Edith, jiddisch Eidel, und Adolf. Adolf war nach dem Großvater benannt und ungefähr in meinem Alter, also Jahrgang 1918. Die Familie Lewinter lebte einige Zeit in Wien, kehrte aber 1918 nach Tarnopol zurück. Nur Adolf überlebte den Holocaust; er war in die Sowjetunion geflüchtet. Als der Krieg zu Ende war, suchte er in Tarnopol seine Familie, fand aber niemanden. Er emigrierte daraufhin nach Israel. Er schrieb meiner Mutter einen Brief nach London, in dem er ihr von seinen Nachforschungen über die Familie in Tarnopol berichtete. Meine Großmutter Feige, so schrieb er, hätte mitansehen müssen, wie ihre Familie, nach dem Einmarsch der Deutschen in Tarnopol, ermordet wurde. Großmutter Feige wäre krank und allein in ihrem Haus gestorben.
Die zweitälteste Schwester meines Vaters hieß Sara, jiddisch Salke. Sie war Schneiderin und verheiratet mit dem Kaufmann Meschillem Lewinter. Sie hatten drei Kinder: Fani, Edith, jiddisch Eidel, und Adolf. Adolf war nach dem Großvater benannt und ungefähr in meinem Alter, also Jahrgang 1918. Die Familie Lewinter lebte einige Zeit in Wien, kehrte aber 1918 nach Tarnopol zurück. Nur Adolf überlebte den Holocaust; er war in die Sowjetunion geflüchtet. Als der Krieg zu Ende war, suchte er in Tarnopol seine Familie, fand aber niemanden. Er emigrierte daraufhin nach Israel. Er schrieb meiner Mutter einen Brief nach London, in dem er ihr von seinen Nachforschungen über die Familie in Tarnopol berichtete. Meine Großmutter Feige, so schrieb er, hätte mitansehen müssen, wie ihre Familie, nach dem Einmarsch der Deutschen in Tarnopol, ermordet wurde. Großmutter Feige wäre krank und allein in ihrem Haus gestorben.
I was a feeble child. When I was unwell, the pediatrician Kantorovich came over. There was also a doctor at the plant where father was working. He was a Lithuanian. He was also called, when needed, and treated our family free of charge. There were a lot of Jews in Siauliai – merchants, businessman, intelligentsia: doctors, lawyers, teachers of Jewish schools. There were two synagogues in the city. The first place we lived in was near a large two-storied synagogue, located in the vicinity of the train station. My father went to the synagogue at that time and took my brother and me with him. I liked to see my father change in the synagogue. Usually he was funny and kind. When he put his tallit on, he looked older and stricter.
Meine Mutter besuchte in Tarnopol eine Schule, danach ging sie in die Lehre zu einer Schneiderin.
Der Großvater war ein sehr bescheidener Mensch. Er bat zum Beispiel immer Gäste zum Schabbat [5] nach Hause, weil aber die Familie so arm war, verzichtete er auf sein eigenes Essen.