Rachel Kahan

[On the effects of her war-time experiences] I just take it as a fact. It just happened. That era was…whoever lived there, you always have a… not a burden – a complex about it. I mean, I don’t thrive on it and I don’t throw it about – just the opposite. But subconsciously I am aware of it. So not to be miserable with it but just, just sort of… aware of it.

after effects of wartime experiences

Let’s see, we had to stand in a row. And it’s so peculiar, you’re a young girl and I said, ‘I must have it [gestures to the tattoo] somehow hidden’. I didn’t want it here because it will show so it has to be so, inside it. Even then, you think you are a young girl so…

Auschwitz tattoo

...there was a rumour that Germany is losing and we’ll be liberated. Everybody shush-shushking, you know. And then all of a sudden the Russkies arrived… the Russians come, and a big yomtov, you know, singing and dancing. And then they showed their maleness, you know. All they wanted is just to rape you and dancing together and all they wanted…And even what the Germans gave you, they had a priority. I never! Mind you I was told these people came from back and beyond from Russia. They were never out and in desperation they draw in anybody for the army, and they just throw them anywhere where they thought would be useful. But that was so heart breaking, you know. If you could have seen how we’re hiding in the toilet – in a giant big toilet. And flooded with, with shmutz (filth). And we had to hide there otherwise they’d just finish you off. You know when I think of that scene, it’s really a miracle that you didn’t drop there. But you didn’t want them, so they went away, the Russkies, because they had to go further to liberate. No, at first they went with us to zabrane – You know what zabrane is? Stealing, that’s a Russian word. ‘Come on, come on! Zabrane! Zabrane!’ And they went to every German house, they went. Whatever they could – not they, we - whatever they could, and whatever we could we taken. You know for six months I wore a little dress – a two year-old baby’s dress – pink baby’s dress I was wearing. I had no other thing. And then the morning we go on the fields to try to find some beetroots or whatever there is on the soil, because they gave you nothing, the Russians. You see when the English liberated and the Americans the Lager were full of you know food and everything. That’s also overdone because they had some typhus, and it wasn’t ideal for the body to take it. But still better than the Russian done it.

'Liberation' of St. Georgenthal

...the place was surrounded and that surrounded place had a big hole, like you know, for paddling. And there we felt always smell of body burning. And those bodies were killed by the Germans because they were spies, so called. They are Polish Christian, they are resistance, and we knew somehow that those are bodies smell…smell of bodies.

Conditions in Plaszów

After liberation – so what do you do? Where do you go? How do you go? So we went to every station - railway station - wherever the train went we just climbed on it on top of the oil tanker. Doesn’t matter if it’s south or east or north, doesn’t matter. Got no idea, so we just went and then had to walk to the station. And my sister kept telling me ‘Come on. Come on!’ And I couldn’t, because I had TB – an active TB – which we didn’t know! Didn’t know (mimics being out of breath) because they were after us. Anyway, so eventually we arrived to Újfehértó after four weeks. I don’t know where we ate or where we slept. It’s just incredible, really. We arrived in Hungary, in Újfehértó - of course nothing there. Empty. A few youngsters came back and they already moved into their house and there was some food already. And my sister took me straight away to a doctor and I went to a sanatorium in Debrecen – a TB sanatorium.

aftermath of camp liberation

I tell you. You do have an idea but you don’t want to face it, in a way. Because then you always think: ‘Oh, how will it happen? How will it happen that they kill you?’ On the other hand if you’re not the only one, if it’s a group, you know you don’t take it in a hysteric manner. Do you agree with me? You wouldn’t know, you should never be in the same position. Because somehow you know we all… Many a time people are together: ‘Don’t worry, we are all together in it’. And this how psychologically to survive a problem like this, for people who put up with it, so to speak.

Survival in Auschwitz

Plaszów is the outskirts of Krakow. And there was a big, big place where they were mending military uniforms – you know what was torn apart in the front. So all these people were doing sewing like I was. So I don’t know for how…And this Plaszów was a bit like, not normal but freedom, because the Polish were there, and they were selling coffee. ‘Kaffe goronza! Kaffe goronza!’ – That was all. But I don’t know how… we didn’t have Polish money. I just can’t recall all this but this is so clear that we mended all the German uniforms from the front what were torn and then there was some sort of food given out. There was a kitchen.

Working conditions in Plaszów

In little villages there was plenty of food from the fields. So to make a bit of money a lot of people filled up a suitcase with food and we went to Budapest, and we sold the food for whatever they gave and that was a bit of an income. And it’s a black market in a way. In those days you want some food- and they improvised.

selling food in Budapest black market

It’s so peculiar. I had one Aufseherin [female guard] and she had a pair of earrings, was always shaking in her ear. And whenever I see – first of all I would never buy earrings that shake – you know what I mean? Because that woman always reminds me, poor woman I’m sure she’s dead a long time ago but you know the way she patsched [slapped] you and the thing in her face you know shaking. And every time I see somebody wearing earrings like this so I just keep away from it. Maybe it’s the personal things I suppose you remember.

Brutality in St. Georgenthal

My uncle in Téglás had a beautiful winery. And he had an orchard with fruit. We had a horse and cart and went to take all the grapes and put it in the pressure. And he had a cellar and we put all the wine there. In the summer - it was fantastic.

uncle's winery