After our father’s death, my mother’s sister took us children to a children’s orphanage in Bendjin, about 2 km away.  At 13, I was apprenticed as a tailor.  In 1939, after the German invasion, I was taken to a prison camp, Zawerche, with other young people, for three months.  I believe this was done by the Germans to see how the world would react to this for later.  

 

Later, I left for Samborg in the eastern part of Poland occupied by the Russians away from the Germans.  I was jailed there for two months and then released.  From there I went to Lvov.  The Russians gave me a choice, to return to Poland or to go on further into Russia.  I chose Poland.  Instead, I was put on a train to Yaroslov near Moscow where I worked cutting down trees in the forests.  I tried to join the Polish army, being reorganized in Russia, however they were short on munitions and only took already trained soldiers.  In 1944, I traveled to Fergena, Uzbekistan (near Tashkent) where I worked as a tailor.  After the war, we moved to Lvov until 1974 when we immigrated to the United States.                                                   

I want my family to be happy, like I'm happy. I believe it was destiny that I survived. People should be happy.