European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

Then it was their responsibility. They knew who we were,

in our striped uniforms and some had a friendly word for us, in German, which we had to learn.

I always said that one should not mix up the SS and the Germans we met at work.

The SS made a choice. They opted for the regime, the system.

Three, four years after coming back I was talking to some friends who said:

“We are going to Germany, to meet some people. But of course we won’t ask you to come along.”

I said: “Why won’t you ask me to go with you? Are you afraid that I will say that all Germans are fascists?

Not way. If you want me to, I will come along. I promise I will behave correctly towards the Germans we meet.

That won’t stop me from saying what happened in the camps.

But I will not say THE Germans.”

Activity as eyewitness; message

I was invited as a witness to a school.

I had a teacher friend and as we talked he said:

“You should come talk in schools, otherwise it will be forgotten history.”

I agreed, but hadn’t really thought about what that meant.

So I went.

It was difficult.

When you are with 30 students, it is very difficult to talk about all these things:

about the arrival of Jewish or Gypsy convoys, the children, sometimes babies in their mothers arms.

I wondered if one should talk about it or rather not talk about it.