Ann's Story Part III

Warsaw Ghetto Line

As a child during the war she never thought of God. In her later years now she looks at it as, her mother talked to God all the time, and she really believed in talking to God and she believed that that's what brought her through, what helped her survive and deal with. Now at her age what she looks at was a miracle. Things did happen for a reason. And the only way you could explain it was God was watching over them.
And then the final liquidation of the ghetto commences and in January 1943, her father through his connections, namely a Polish non-Jewish military officer, arranges for them all to be taken out of the ghetto hidden in a garbage truck. And suddenly she’s on the Aryan side of the ghetto, outside ghetto. And he arranged to find lodging with a Polish Christian family.

This mother and daughter must have been in their twenties took them in. They didn't have a very large place. But there was enough room for them to move in. They made an excuse to their neighbors that family was from the countryside. That would explain why they were there. The problem was they were to live as Catholic Christians . Live like the two women. Ann had an olive complexion. She had dark curly hair. Her Sister was fair. Still is. Lighter hair. She looked very Polish. Ann looked Jewish. So there was a problem, if people would notice her she would give everyone away. The Poles would be killed as they would.

That was the Nazi penalty. Giving shelter to a Jew invited death for you and your family.
That was the ultimate crime that you could commit. So her mother would take her sister out, her father found a job and he went to work. Mother take sister and make believe. They did go to church and go shopping. With her, she stayed inside. If company came, she would have to hide in a single door armoire and sit in there until company left.

They tried to even dye her hair. They took some old bark off tree. Boiled it real hot, and tried to dye her hair. Well, it didn't work. Her mother was feeling sorry for her. Not getting fresh air, not getting out. Night when it was dark. She would put a babushka on her head. She would put her on the balcony. She did this a few nights. One day the woman across the street noticed that she was sitting out there only at night.
She went to the janitor. Told him. She said they must be hiding Jews, and that unless they reported them, she would. And of course her father came from work and heard the news. Panic set in. They would all be killed, Poles as well. But because of his golden hands' and such a good worker. He went to his boss who owned a lumber yard and explained to him that they no longer stay in apartment because other family members were coming. And would he allow him to put us in lumber yard. Build a shed that was in the back. He also would be able to be a watchman. And this what he did. The boss did let them move in.