Living 70 Years with PTSD After Surviving the Holocaust (And Still Holding on to Hope)

The last time you saw your parents you knew it was going to be the last time no, no, no, I didn't know anything when they took me away from my mother, I never knew, I will never see her, but I found out. The next day they took them all to the crematorium when they burned them and I

still

think about how my mother paired her children and died it doesn't leave me how often you think about that very often at night when I go to sleep What do you think is the most important thing the world should learn from your story?

That it shouldn't happen again, that there shouldn't be anti-Semitism and that people should get along. All nationalities should get along. We are all human beings. Welcome to sbsk. Join me as I travel the world and interview people

living

with a condition to show that no matter how you communicate or the obstacles you face, you always deserve love and acceptance, so without hesitation, let's meet today's friend if you had to show up. the world, what would you say? I don't understand what you are asking if you had to introduce yourself to the world, what would you say?

Okay, I better fight, but I was born in Romania in a religious family, how long after the liberation? so that you feel happy again I could never feel as happy as people are I can never laugh like people do the bad thing started for me in 1938 even before the junta was dissolved because in Romania we had the government it was very anti-Jewish and when I went to school the principal hit us while we were waiting in line to go to class and I had a good teacher who didn't let us go out for recess because they always attacked us and I see the teenagers how happy and laughing, I will never be able to do that, why?

No, because my whole life as a team was very bad. I was able to go to school for two more

years

in 1942, then Jewish children couldn't go to school. How old were you? I was around 12

years

old. I felt very hurt when I couldn't go to school. I used to look through the door at the kids going to school and I couldn't go. I was a very good student and I loved school, but I couldn't. So who are these two people? They are great who they are who we are they are my children I am Renee and I am Sheldon and after a month on May 22, 1944 they put us in cattle cars we were all together in a corner in that cattle car and we traveled for four days and We arrived at Auschwitz-Birkenau it was night and it was dark and the prisoner approached the cattle car and once thought that he should say that I am 16 years old. and they held me

holding

my little sister who was five years old and we went down and they took her away from me and gave her to my mother and they took me away and I have never seen my parents again.

Do you

still

have faith in humanity? No, I think so. terrible things are capable of doing terrible things to other human beings for no reason and when he was born he was a very good baby, very good, he smiled when I came in and I enjoyed it much more, I noticed it when you described Your son, you have a big smile on your face , Yes because? Because I'm very proud of them and there were fires, so we thought they would take us alive to burn us, so a lot of people got very hysterical. I asked the German to please shoot me first the next morning.

They took us to the sea and you saw the bodies that were shot the night before still in the street, of course, I was very sad and cried for my parents and one. The day the couple on the block grabbed me by the neck, he took me out and told me that if I don't take care of myself and stop crying I will end up in the fireplace like my mother and father while you were experimenting. What you went through during the war Would you have believed that one day you would be sitting in New York City with your grandson?

No, I couldn't visualize that, ever, so what is it really like to be here? Fantastic after a few weeks. My older sister, who I didn't grow up with, wore black seven, so I joined her there. She was always taking care of the people and the camp when she could get some extra soup, which I told you she usually did. I took it to my sister, my cousin, a girlfriend, to another block and to another place where she used to take it. I was very proud of her. I remember she was in first grade and they had a sale and she needed money to buy things, so I gave it to her.

She gave him a dollar and for that dollar she bought something for everyone except the whole family. He was so proud of her that he thought about buying them all the next morning. I offered to go get soup from the kitchen, but I noticed many bodies on the floor. the cables and all the glue agar was empty, that night they took 10,000 people to the crematorium and then we went to do a selection near the crematorium, we stood there for a few hours and then we went to do a selection, mengele was selecting us with Everything you've been through Have you ever lost your faith in God?

I have many discussions with him. I used to talk to him all the time and asked him why he punishes us so much. Did you ever find an answer? No, no, but. They selected you, they seemed like you should be strong to work, so some people didn't think they were strong enough to work, they didn't accept it and in the end they selected you, you had to walk through a room naked if you had pimples or something. They didn't trick you, you had to have a clean body and you have to look strong enough to them to work and I was lucky to get through and they picked me up when I walked into that room that I was able to get through. because I was young skinny and they gave us clothes there they put us in cattle cars and we went to Germany I think it's important to have religion because when you drown you hold on to a straw you never lose your grip on that straw no, I never lost the drop , but on April 26, 1945 we were liberated.

The Americans came just in a truck or a jeep with some Americans and there was a chaplain who said the prayers with us and we were there for a few days. He wanted to return. at home to see maybe there is someone alive I couldn't imagine that I had no one left and there I found my brother, one of my brothers, so we were very happy, I had a sister and a brother, if you had to describe your grandmother to the world, what would you say? I would say very determined, very loving, obviously, very strong, how do you feel

holding

your grandson's hand?

It feels good, it feels great, that's when President Truman passed a law allowing 200,000 displaced people to enter the United States. and I registered with my sister and in 1949 we were able to come to the United States. I think that being able to come to America and build the life that you made with your children and grandchildren is very inspiring during that time I went to I found a job on the same block there was a place where they made coats for children and I went up and asked for a job he told me you know how to sew a electric machine I said no but you are a good gentleman, are you going to teach me?

And he did it. He taught me. I earned 35 a week and felt very rich when it was post-war and you started your own family. Do memories of your experiences still haunt you? I who didn't have my mother there were many times I wish I was dead because it was very difficult for me I felt very alone growing up I felt like she had been through so much she already had so much pain in her life I didn't want to contribute to that so I did everything I couldn't to I don't know how to move the boat or make her angry, what did she want you to do.

I have to know that she spoke, not for the sake of speaking. I was talking. out of turn or I was something something something not that I said hallelujah that's great because I wanted her to be outgoing and participate I tried she did she encouraged me I was just I was afraid I was afraid can you trust people? yes but I only affiliate with trusted people if I don't trust people, I'm not in contact with them when you see this photo of your wedding, what do you think I remember about how happy I was? I love seeing it in 1951.

I met my husband. What did you think the first time you saw him? He was tall and handsome in 1953. We married and had three beautiful children. I was very happy when I went to my apartment, it was on the fifth floor. Vodka. but it was still my apartment and it was great. Did he propose to you? No year, I told him it was time for him to marry me. What did he say? She said yes. Look, we always had our own house in Europe, so it was very important to me to have it. my own place, how would you describe the lasting psychological effect that going through war has had on you?

I was depressed all the time I had terrible nightmares I used to scream we had a detective, he came out one time with a gun because he screamed so loud I lost my voice because I was afraid they were chasing me. I guess my consciousness absorbed it even when she was little, so basically, as it happened, everything was as usual, so I accepted it and waited for it every night and knew that it was like that. I wouldn't be late it wasn't something that happened after three in the morning there were some nights I remember where the explosion was so big I remember she knocked her lamp over you know by a nightstand it would be so big if it crashed to the floor you could hear a lot of noise I dreamed that i was at camp how long did those dreams last for years for years i had the impression that someone was chasing her she was in imminent danger so she was screaming help me help me or save me while she was sleeping while she was sleeping yes so we can only imagine how she is re

living

these terrible scenarios from his days in the camp, when he was in the camp and throughout the war, I had a pleasant experience.

I heard my father calming her down, um, but what do you say? Okay, okay, yeah, he was always good whenever I felt threatened by something, he helped me, he did it right, would he say something to you? I didn't have to say anything. I just said: He's okay, he made me feel very good. I miss that mostly about him. I miss him a lot. Do you still believe there are good things in the world? Yes, there are some good people. There are people who help other people. Not all of them are bad. You know I went.

Back to Auschwitz in 1987, my husband took me back to Poland and we went to Auschwitz after that. I didn't have that many nightmares. It was as if he had said goodbye to me. Throughout your life, were you still able to experience moments of joy? Sure, when, when, my children. my children got married when they graduated from medical school I was very happy and I am happy if my children are happy I am happy many times I think I should have had one more if I had known that they turned out so good I love being with them and I am very proud of how they are, how they behave, even the best for them, I'm proud of her because she perseveres and strives to overcome everything she has to overcome, it wasn't always easy, she did it, she, she.

Did you know the times when she felt depressed and, despite that, she was able to have a wonderful life, raise three wonderful children and be married to the same man for how many years, six years, 64 years with the same man? man? you need to hold on to something, what are you holding on to today? I am grateful to him for all the good things. I thank him every Friday night for all the good things. I always think that everything will be better. Did she get better at times? Many times, thank you for watching, if you appreciate what we are doing and want to see spsk grow, be sure to like, comment and subscribe, this will help us reach more people and make the world a better place, thank you, how is to have?

I experienced everything you have and I am alive to tell the story in the unusual year 2018. I never thought I had lived this long. Are you grateful you did it? Yes and I'm very lucky.