Summary for the Malka Baran interview
Malka Baran was born Malka Klin in Warsaw Poland in 1927. She grew up in a small apartment with a living room, bedroom, and a kitchen with her mother, father, and little brother. Her father owned and operated a small print shop that was in the same apartment buiding her family lived in.
Life was normal for Malka’s family until 1939. They lived in a non-kosher home although Malka and her brother went to a private Jewish school for children where they learned Hebrew, ( I’m assuming she meant Yiddish). Being non- kosher, her family wasn’t particularly religious, however Malka says she has always maintained a personal and private relationship with God.
After German occupation of Poland, the family tried to live a normal life, but the private Jewish school was closed. The Nazi’s eventually took over her father’s print shop and sent him off to work in exchange for food coupons. In 1943, the Nazi’s came and forced them out of their apartment. Malka was separated from her family and heard later that her parents were shot in the back trying to run away. She never heard from or about her brother again. Malka was sent to a labor camp in March of 1943 until January of 1945.
After liberation, Malka went to work in a kitchen that served the Russian Army. Soldiers from the Russian Army actually helped her and showed her the first human kindness since before the labor camp. She finally ended up in a displaced persons camp in Austria that was housing people waiting to go to the newly formed Israel. Malka met her future husband at this camp. In the camp, she taught children which was good for Malka because she loved teaching and children.
She left Austria in 1948 and went to Israel for a time. Eventually, she got married and moved to New York City where she received a college degree. Malka and her husband finally moved to Pittsburg Pa. where her husband had family.
Summary for Herman Cohn interview
Herman Cohn was born on September 8, 1921 in Essen Germany. Herman’s mother died in childbirth when Herman was only five. Herman was the oldest of two children and eventually, his father remarried and had other children with Herman’s step mom. Herman says his step mom didn’t treat him of his brother very well. He doesn’t claim to have been abused, but thinks his step mom was probably bitter about him and his brother being the children of another woman.
Herman’s father was a very patriotic German who served in the German Army and Air-Corp. Herman says his father was mildly religious who always put his country over his religion. He ran a very successful furniture store for a time and then a successful linen shop. Herman says they were well off with a governess, a chauffer, and a maid. When the Nazi’s came to power, Herman’s father wasn’t even worried. A few times when they heard people yelling anti-semetic banter out of their window, his father would just say it would pass. His father had seen political movements in Germany come and go and thought the Nazi’s would just die out after a while.
Herman was worried about society though. He noticed that none of his gentile friends were playing with him and his brother any longer. His step brother died of natural causes at age 5, so Herman was going through a lot of changes at this time. His parents also pulled him out of public school and sent him to be an apprentice to be a taylor. By the mid 1930’s, things had
gotten bad enough for Herman’s family and their neighborhood, the family decided to move to the United States.
The Nazi’s eventually burned down the synagog in town and being in a neighborhood with lots of social democrats and even communists, the Nazi’s were probably extra tough on that area. They eventually started managing his fathers business and according to Herman, they were running it into the ground and stealing money.
The family all had applied for visa’s and were on a waiting list to go to Holland. After a lot of hardship in Germany under Nazi control, they finally made it out and eventually made it to the United States where they moved to Chicago where they had family. Herman says everyone in his family had a hard time assimilating in the United States except for him. Herman was mad and even joined the United States Army so he could go fight the Nazi’s and everything they stood for.
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