Survivor Testimonies.
Joseph Morton, one of many survivors, was born on July 11, 1924. He was born in Lodz, Poland. His father was a tailor and his mother stayed at home. He was the eldest of 6 children; 4 brothers and one sister. His family spoke mostly Polish and Yiddish. In Lodz, Poland the family lived in a one bedroom apartment.
He recalls the war started in September of 1939 on a Wednesday. He goes on to say that by Friday the Germans were already in his neighborhood. Morton recalls a lot about the events that take place, but replies with “No, when you’re a kid you don’t think of those things” when asked, by the interviewer, “Do you remember being worried as things were changing?” He does remember that the neighborhood was guarded by many German Police and Jewish Police. The surrounding area was barb wired and he says there was no leaving. The family was given ration cards for food, which he says was obviously never enough, but still there was never any leaving.
Later on in the interview he forgets that he never talks about his father, so he goes back to say that his father was in the Polish Army when the war was starting. And that he was captured in Russia, but the family didn’t know this until later. Before the war got bad enough, Morton’s father was able to come home. He remembers just how happy that made him, remembering that he saw him walking past him. Also when the guard, which was in charge of Morton’s work, let him go to spend the rest of the day with his family.
When asked about work in the ghetto, Morton said that he work in an organization type of headquarter for the theatrical performances. He worked with three of his brothers doing this, and refers to it as being slavery. Because he was working and so were all of the other children, school came to a halt and he only finished through 6th grade.
By 1944 he was separated from his mother and sister, who later were killed, and went to Auschwitz with his father, and later moved to another camp.
“Life was a little tougher than it is now.”
“To this day I still get nightmares and can’t believe I’m still here...”
Malka Baran was born in Warsaw, Poland on January 30, 1927. She says that around one year of age her family moved and that is where she grew up. She was a family of four; mother, father, herself, and a little brother. They all lived in a small one bedroom apartment. Her father had a printer shop that was located in the same building as they lived in as well.
She attended a private school, which she loved. Baran recalls that she was always very interested in studies and of course she had many friends that made her want to go, even though the school was located at the end of town. And she says that they were never driven to school that they were to walk, which took around 40 minutes. She remembers always waking up early and going to a garden with her friends and reading poetry before school.
Baran remembers being 12 years old when the Germans occupied the town and that is around the same they had shut down the schooling for children. Therefore she only made it to barely 6th grade. She goes on to say that even though they shut the schools down she still continued to go to the teachers house until times got harder. Baran also recalls that the area she lived in a Jewish neighborhood. And Baran says that she never experienced direct Anti-Semitism. She walked with a group of children to school because of the long walk and says that some of them were non Jewish but didn’t know them very well.
In the year of 1939, Baran recalls hearing shooting and bombs and remembers hiding down in the basement. Very soon she remembers that German soldiers were occupying the town and taking people and never knowing where they were going. She knew that she was becoming different when the Germans made her and her family wear the yellow stars. And then the family was sent to work; she was sent to work washing windows. Her town was turned to a ghetto in 1941. Baran recalls many changes within those few short years. Food was rationed and her family was given “coupons” to get different portions.
Around the year of 1943, the Baran family was then forced out of their home, and never saw it again. She was separated from her mother when this happened, and her, her brother and her father were taken to another camp. This is when she can’t recall much, due to a major memory block. She only knows what her friends and people have told her. She worked again washing windows and cleaning and her brother and father were taken to different work, and one day they never returned.
“…Every time my birthday arrived I was in a different place”
“It was very shocking and disturbing.”
