Murray Ressler was born in the village called Ruzanka near Strzyzow - Wielepole - Frysztak to Chiam and Gitel Ressler - Kirshenbluth. I was the youngest of seven children the oldest was Hersh named after our grandfather. Next was Issac he was named after my mother's father, then came my sister Faiga she was named after my grandmother my fathers mother, then came Sally. Sally was named after my mothers mother, then came Pinchas he died as a child of Scarlet Fever which was an epidemic then in Poland, and then came Rose. Rose was named after an aunt that died after giving birth to a child she was married to Benjamin Baumehl, then I came. I was named after Moshe Aaron Zilber (Uncle)
Hersh and Feiga Ressler my grandparents had six children, Zelda, Rifka, Hinda, Raizel or Rose, Chiam my father, and Sol. Zelda, married David Dembitzer and they had six children. They are Sarah, Hilda, Ita, Shaindel, Azik and Ben. Sarah, Hilda, and Ben came to America before World War II.
Sarah married Harry Baim and they had two children, Roslin and Jesse. Jesse lives in California and has two children. Roslin also has two children. I don't know her last name. She has two children and resides in the LA California area. Uncle David, Aunt Zelda, Azik, Ita perished in the Holocaust.
Rivka married Moshe Aaron Zilber, whom I am named after, and they had three boys and one girl. The boys, were Pinchas, Shia and Mendel, the girl was Sarah. All except my uncle perished in the Holocaust. Moshe Aaron died a natural death.
Hinda was the second wife to Benjamin Baumehl, mentioned earlier. Rose-Raizel, whom my sister Rose is named after, died after giving birth.
By Jewish law if there was a sister she had to marry the husband or the husband had to marry her sister. Hinda and Benjamin had seven children, four boys and three girls. The boys were, Srulek, Joseph or Yosele, Moshe, and Hersh. The girls were Chache, Lipka and Faiga.
Joseph, we call him Yosale, is the only one that survived the Holocaust. All the rest, Parents and all children, and grandchildren perished. One son in law, the husband of Chache survived in Russia. I have never seen him I understand he lived and died in Israel.
Yosale after the war found his sweetheart with whom he was going out before the war. He went through different concentration camps and so did his girlfriend Bertha. I met Bertha while we were in camp in Pkashow near Krakow shortly after the war. I was in Krakow walking on the street and I see a young lady who looked very familiar to me. I could not remember who she was and continued walking, then I said to myself why don't I ask her. I turned around and started to run after her then I recognized her and asked her about Yosole she told me then that he survived and is in Italy she followed him to Italy and married him there. Then in 1949 or 1950 they came to America and live in Brooklyn (Boro Park) and live there now. Yosale and Bertha have two children a boy and a girl, Shaindy and Benjamin. Shaindy has six children and Benji has one set of twins, boy and girl and another girl for a total of three as of now.
I am sorry to say I did not know any family from my mother's side. I only know my mother had one brother Jacov (Jancie), a sister Brandel and another sister Malka (Malcie). My mother came from Lezansk. I have never been in Lezansk and for some reason I don't remember meeting any of my relatives from my mothers side. I only have three pictures left from the whole family. All have perished in the Holocaust. That's all I know.
Until the war I went to public school and Hebrew school in Strzyzow. During the week I lived at Uncle David and Aunt Zelda's house since it was to far to walk everyday to school. Jewish education was very important in our lives so all boys stayed with one relative or the other in Strzyzow. The girls got private tutors at home to learn Hebrew, and they went in the village to public school.
It was a dull life for my parents and my older sisters and brothers since the last few years we were the only Jewish family in this village. For Saturday and High Holy days we got together with Jews from neighboring villages to make minian, ten men. My mother operated a piece-goods store and groceries or you would call it a general store since we were selling cigarettes and tobacco and some hardware. My father took care of a small farm. He had tried to wheel and deal to help make a living. I remember the Gentiles used to come in and bring a few eggs and trade for cigarettes, tobacco, sugar or salt.
Life was hard, very often the store was broken into and emptied out. I remember one time my brother Isaac (Itcha), slept near the window and heavy shutters fell on him and he did not wake up we asked what if they would take you out, you would never know. My parents hated to live in the village, and always talked soon the children grow up we will move to Krakow. In spite of all we lived a happy life, the family was extremely close, it came Saturday we had a real day of rest, all boys came home and we had a real Shabbat day. Singing zmirot boys and girls together after dinner many time the Gentiles stopped and listened in.
Years went by, my brother Hersh learned a trade. He became a taylor and Izak moved to Krakow. Sally also moved to Krakow and got jobs. My sister Faiga got engaged so things began to look better and dreams became closer to move out.
Then the war broke out and hell broke loose.
For the first year we in the village did not feel it so much, but in Strzyzow it started out Jews had to go to forced labor everyday. Jews had to turn in all gold, all furs. I remember us being told one family did not turn in a piece of fur one person was shot for it.
Things became worse and worse. I remember one time the Nazis made a round up in the village for men to work forced labor on the road to tar the road in Dobrzechow, between Strzyzow and Frysztak. My brother Issac and I wound up between all gentiles. Since we spoke Yiddish so we could understand better German then the rest of the gentiles, my brother became the interpreter for the Germans and I was working on the road. The germans found out that the two of us were Jews, all Gentiles were permitted to go home for the Weekend we were not permitted to go home.
One day a young German came over to me and said you Jew you must load 2 cars in the time the Gentiles loaded one and stayed over me all the time with a whip. The gentiles going home the the weekend stopped at our house and said to my mother you have to do something to get him out of there before they kill him, but somehow I survived the few weeks until the road was finished and they let us all go home.
In the first few days the war broke out my two brothers were called in the army to was I remember saying goodbye and running away not making it hard on my parent. My father served 6 years in WW I so he know what war was about.Speaking of antisemitism I remember when I was in public school the Jewish boys were made to sit in last bench and during bread period hoodlums kids came over and made us do calisthenics. If we went to the teacher to complain he or she looked away.
After about 3 weeks Hersh and Issac came home from the army Poland was taken over it was not much of a fight.
A lot of the officers were bribed I remember one of my brothers were saying the German planes were flying so low that you could shoot him down with a rifle the officer was saying in Polish to Nazis these are our planes. A soldier took a pistol and shot him to death. It was so obvious the Nazis marking on the wings.
The family liven in Frysztak until the liquidation of the town, meaning (Juden frie) free of Jews.
Hersh was very liked by every one. All the gentiles gave him food like I mentioned before he made different clothing for them and he believed he will beat the system.
The day before we had to report is a fast day the 17th day of Tammuz. I can honestly say that there was no Jew in town that did not fast, fear of the unknown was unbelievable.
We were lined up and the Gestapo was walking around up and down and started to give orders to women and men over the age of 70 to step out. They were led out of the Targovica place, the market place, then they called women with 5 and 6 children or more to step out. They were led down and so they took 2 or maybe 3 thousand men women and children and put them on trucks to the forest in Wazyce and shot them all. They buried them in a mass grave including my mother. My mother was young yet, but she looked worried of course and tired so they took her out too. Everyone thought that the people that they selected, the old and the children and the weak were sent home. There were mothers that did not have enough children that were called out so they borrowed from friends children so they could go home, so they thought, unfortunately.
The young men were all loaded on trucks. 150 or so men on each truck, military trucks like the American trucks. We were packed standing like herring. You could not move and we took off, to where we didn't know. My brother and others said lets lean to one side so when the truck will get to a curve the truck will turn over and we will be able to run away. But many were against it, they were afraid they will get killed from the fall. The truck traveled about an hour or so I don't remember exactly, and came to a stop, we stood still for a while and looking out we could see a fenced around place and a gate to enter with a guard and weapon. The trucks were standing on the outside of the tergovica, the Gestapo was waking around with guns in the holsters and comes, if someone fell they grabbed him or her and pulled them up by the neck down to the trucks like dogs. The trucks were taking away the old and children they left and came back they were loaded up and came back empty standing on the place we thought they are taking the old and the children home and the able bodies will be taking to work.
Looking out we could also see two men carrying someone on a streatcher. After a while, the trucks started up and turned around and we traveled again for an hour or so and stopped. This time they opened the curtain and ordered us to get off. After every one was off they asked do you want to work - of course everyone said yes, now you can go home and we will call you again. Only then did we find out about the tragedy what happened to all the elder of the town and all the children and my mother including.
We found out that the place we saw fenced around was Pustkow near Dembice a working camp which was very bad, Uncle Jack was there you probably saw the letter KL on his arm. The letters KL on Jacks (ed: Jack Kohn) arm stand for (Konsetracions Lager) concentration camp. When I say you I mean our children the second generation.
In about a week or so we were called again (the men) only it is odd that I don't remember how we were transported I believe it was by train in cattle car and we wound up in Plashow that was near Krakow, that is myself my father and my brother Issac. My brother Hersh was still in the village around where we lived and working for the farmers sewing for food and shelter, he never showed up in any of the places we had to report. My cousin Yosale was in the same camp he was there before we got there I don't know what town he came from, maybe from Krakow because he was working and living there. At that time somehow for money he managed to get my father out of camp and send him back home to Frysztak where my 3 sisters were. In Krakow Jews lived in the ghetto, most of the Polish Jews were put in ghettos together in one part of town, crowded so the Germans could have easy control over them. Many Jews from smaller towns were evacuated to other towns to keep them together.
In the fall around Oct. or Nov. 42 rumors were going around that the ghetto in Frysztak will be liquidated. My brother Hersh hearing about it wanted to save the family so he went around the village asking the farmers if he could bring his sisters to hide out for a few weeks until everything blows over, he honestly believed that after a while every one will be able to return home. After all that had happened no one could understand that a whole city could be liquidated. I must mention that Frysztak was the first city from all the neighboring towns that the germans took thousands of people and shot them in the forest. My brother found a couple of farmers in the village hat wanted to help him and agreed he should bring them over and they will give them shelter, he divided the family one here and one there.
Swentons family consisted of one son and one daughter. Pietrek and Bronia. Pietrek was then about 27 years old and Bronia about 23. Bronia and Pietrek were working on the farm and the father was taking care of his orchard he loved his orchard he had apples tree pears and beautiful cherries he used to sell a lot of fruit and made good money from the orchard. We used to call Mr. Swenton the father to Pietrek and Bronia (Dziadku) meaning grandpa.
The house was standing on a hill by itself with only one other house about 100 yards away with one man living in it, I believe he was retarded or something I don't believe any one of us met him. The house had 1 main room a hallway going across the whole house one side were the living quarters on the other side was the stable for the cows and a large pantry. On the outside of the house was a dog tied on a chain to a tree his name was Subush I still have a picture of him, I feel he had a lot to do us staying alive.
Michael Swenton the father was illiterate he could not read or write and so was Pietrek. Mr Swenton was in America I don't know the years but it must have been in the early 20's he was working very had in the steel mills and saving every penny, he came back to Poland and bought his farm for that money, he was considered a well to do farmer.
One story goes that when he was working in the steel mill he got drunk once. He got in trouble and was arrested. Not knowing anyone he stayed in jail. A man in a grocery store where he shopped found out that he is in jail so he went to the police and bailed him out. The Store keeper was Jewish so maybe for that he helped us.
Icia and I stayed in Ptreshaw working until sometimes in November, rumors when around that Krakow will be liquidated of Jews and all Jews from Krakow will be send to concentration camps or be killed. In Ptrashow I was working very hard we were digging ditches carrying railroad tracks on the shoulders and have very little food. I was looking for food in garbage cans. We were marching every day from Ptreshow to Prokocim to work. Our watch men were soldiers in black uniforms they were Ukrainians who were Nazi Gestapo helpers.
One day one of our workers a Jew had a bad headache he waked over to the foreman also a German but he wore a arm band on his sleeve and asked him if he could lie down for a few minutes, the foreman allowed him to lay down, he went near the tool shed and led down. The guard in the black uniform past by and saw a Jew lying down takes out his carbine and shoots at him, his first bullet hit him in the arm he stood up with his arm dangling down then he shot him again to death without bothering asking why or what. His bullets must have been shattering bullets because his arm was shattered not shot threw. This was the first time I saw anyone shot.
I remember we were working in the trenches in knee high water with swollen legs from standing in water and mud someone figured out is was Yom Kippor we had not much food anyway but we fasted.
My brother Hersh someone from the people he worked betrayed him called the Gestapo and they caught him locked him in a pantry in one of the farmers homes, he got out they caught him again and shot him on the cemetary in Frysztak, so we were told by Bronia. To the best of our knowledge there is no cemetary or graves left in Frysztak.
When we were in Bronia's house she used to say when she felt bad she went to Hershe's grave so she felt better. Where there was a grave we don't know from people that were in Frysztak after the war we know there is no cemetary. We were liberated only maybe 10-15 kilometers from Frysztak but had the fear to go to town even after the war, Why? I come to it in the writing.
While Icaia and I were in Ptaszew and my father and family at the Swientons house Mr. Swenton says to my father he heard that all the Jews from Krakow - Ptaszaw will be liquidated, send for the boys lets save them, Hersh was dead then already, Icia and I did not know, then. My father sent us a note by messenger since we could not receive any mail, that we should try to escape from Plash and come to Swienton. During the time we were in Ptaszow my father sent us food packages.
Going to word from Plaszow to Prokocim we purchased 2 tickets on the train, from Ptaszow to Dembice my Father gave us exact land marks and names where they are.
The days were very cold in November the trains were very full no room inside we got to the station trying to get on the train there was no room, somehow I got on the step outside and held on to the handel and the train started to move. The train is moving faster and faster and I see Slomek Lambrik running he can not get on, he runs beside me I give him my hand to help him get on he can't get on he pulls me off the train, we both run after the train finally we got on the step. With no room inside we stayed on the step holding on not to fall off and freezing cold you change hands not to get frost bitten.
After a while we separated ourselves not to be on the same car, I traveled like that for approximately 90-100 kilometers till Dembice.
In Dembice most of the passengers got off I was also supposed to get off at this station, but I looked around and I see full of Gestapo police in the station I decided not to get off with my shabby cloths that will give me away that I am a Jew. I figured I will go to the next station and get of there, all of us were supposed to get off in Dembice but no one did, they were thinking the way I did, it is too dangerous with all the Gestapo around. With most of the people getting off I finally got inside the train sat down and started to warm up.
All the way the conductors didn't check our tickets, the cars were too crowded to pass by, now there is lots of room the conductor is going around and checks the tickets, he comes to me and asks for my ticket. I show him I have a ticket to Dembice and I want to go to the next station and I will pay the difference. He looks at me from top to bottom and says no, you wait here I will be right back!
As soon he walked away from me I moved to a different car I know he knows I am a Jew and went to get police and that will be all, the end of my life. I sat in the car for a while all of a sudden the train blows its whistle and stops. I think this is my best chance to get away get off the train before the police will get me at the next station. I got off the train lied down near the track and waited until the train will pull away. I felt I was all alone dark and not knowing, where I was or which way to go, I called out aloud Ignac a polish name for Icie I called once and twice I hear someone calls back here here, I was relieved I was not alone, all the others that got away from camp got out on the other side of the train and ran away from the train, every one had the same idea to to get off in Dembica as I said before it was dangerous.
We started to walk towards the destination each wanted to go to the vicinity of Frysztak all were from the same town. One man Mr. Migayer know this territory he was leading us. After walking a while we see a German guard in a booth we realized that we were at a small airport, quietly we walked out of the airport and kept walking until daybreak, during the daytime we stayed in the woods and rested. Next evening we started to walk again we walked again all night actually it was not so far where we got off the train to Frysztak but we had to walk through woods and fields not to be seen by anyone. After two nights and days Icia and I separated ourselves from the rest of the group so we can go to the place were the rest of the family was.
Finally we found the house on top of a hill by itself with only a little house a few hundred meters away, we got inside the house we were met by Mr. Swienton and then he called in the rest of the family we kissed of course and looked at each other and we could see the sad faces we know something was wrong. That was when we found out Hersh was no more alive.
The day Hersh was caught it was the 1st day of the month of Cheshvon 1942.
Mr. Swenton son and daughter decided it was to dangerous for my family to be with them maybe the person that gave out (betrayed) Hersh also knew about the family where they are and also call the Gestapo. Pietrek decided to take them to the woods which were not too far from their house. They took along blankets some food whatever they could Pietrek with tears in his. I said don't worry Hersh is not here no more but I will take care of you, with tears in his eyes.
On top was standing a large bin with different farm products like wheat, rye flower as usual in a farm pantry prepared for the whole winter. Next to the pantry was the stable for the cows, we decided to make the entrance from there. The cover or the door we made from the same wood as the rest of the flood, matched exactly, to cover the seams or the crack we tacked on straw and made it dirty with manure to match the look of the stable. The walls were wet so we put straw against it and with moldings or sticks if we had no molding. The floor was also wet, the straw was rotting and smelled damp, but it did not matter we did not smell it.
We have decided to stay watch inside the house in all four corners of the house, we were pulling guard like in the army. If anyone was approaching the house we went into the bunker, it did not matter who it was, men child or any living person. At the beginning when the girls were there with father they were a little negligent and not used to lock the door at all times, one time a man walked in and of course he sees Sally and Rose or Faiga and stays startled not saying a word, and the girls did not say anything after a few seconds he asked were is Pietrek and he walked out.
The man was a boy that went to school with one of my sisters and of course know who they were and was shocked to see Jewish girls. He worked as a farm hand only a few houses away whenever he came close to the house he would call about Pietrek, Pietrek and make sure he does not see them again. He knows that Jews are hiding out but did not want to know.
Once during the summer Dziadek, Mr. Swenton is outside picking fruit off the ground a Polish police officer is coming up the hill we see him coming of course we go in to the bunker and closed the bunker up we never opened the bunker until someone of the Swienton family knocked giving us a signal to open up, saying the coast is clear. After about 10 or 15 minutes we heard 3 knocks meaning come out its OK we open the door and come in the sable and see a big grin on Mr. Swentons face and he says, come lets have a drink of wine. After we had a drink he says you know I was outside and did not see the policeman coming. Least I see you are watching yourselves you saw him coming I did not.
The policeman came up close and tapped him on the shoulder and he was very scared he came sudden. There were many times when Mr. Swienton got disgusted and said go away I had enough, the war will never end and if you get caught they will kill us all. I am old I had my life but what are my children guilty of. So at the beginning we still had some American dollars so my father took out and gave him some to appease him, American money was special to him. The man was totally right, we had nowhere to go we were the Jews destined to die if we were sent away it was almost sure death, if we would not be caught by the Germans the Poles would give us out.
The poles were not sympathetic to the Jews, even though we lived in a village and farmers came to play cards in our house almost every night we had no trust in any one, there were cases were Poles would give out Jews for 1 kilo of sugar of reward. Swietons house was only a few kilometers from our house we never knew him, only from contact that my brother Hersh made during the time he worked for them.
To be two years hiding out like this is a lifetime, to be honest we did not think we will ever live through the war and be able to talk about it. My father was the only one that kept our morale up, siting in the bunker the cloth was wearing out on the knees, once he said to my sister Feiga take a patch and put on the knees so the dress will last longer my sisters answer was if I will like through I will walk out naked.
We had no contact with the outside world, no radio, no newspaper we only relied what the Swienton's told us, sometimes we could hear the artillery guns so we were hoping they would come closer, if the guns were louder Mr. Swenton said it wouldn't be too long the Nazis will be defeated, if they got quieter he said the war will never end. The time was going painfully slow and we always heard this one got caught and this one got caught but one thing I must say, we were not hungry at any time we ate the same thing the family ate. Many Jewish people that were hiding out were starving from hunger, some families did not have enough food to give to eat, and some withheld the food on purpose.
We hear them talking they were looking for us (for Jews) we hear them say to Bronia if you don't tell us where they are and we find them we will shoot you like a dog, one of them spoke Polish. We are sitting in the bunker afraid to breath they are walking around on top of us. We were running out of oxygen we had a hard time breathing. Icia started to cough we put pillows over his head to keep the noise down. After a few minutes he could not keep it down no more he started to cough out loud we were sure the Germans heard it, all of us thought this is it, they will drag us out of the bunker and will shoot us all. Everybody took a deep breath and we are waiting for them to open the entrance to the bunker.
We listen intensely we don't hear anything no walking around no talking total silence, and we wait and wait after a while we started to hear walking again, one person spoke in Polish, but no one is opening the door. This search went on for close to four hours and inside the bunker it is dark and so silent you could hear your own heartbeat. We could not see each other so it was better for each of us we could not see the fear on each others faces.
I am not much of a believer in miracles but when we walked out the the bunker alive that was a miracle, Bronia told us when the Germans came in to the stable where the door was to the bunker the calf lied down on the door to conceal it so the Germans could not see it, that's a miracle. The dog howling all night that's a miracle, the dog must have felt that we were in danger so in his way he let us know. During the interval of silence that we did not hear any walking or talking, and when Icia started to cough and could not stop they walked out of the house and stable, and went to the barn to search.
In the barn my Father or the Swentons had hid my Father's clothing which was a black (capole) in Yiddish we call it a, ybercier_ any way it was distinctively identifiable as Jewish clothing. They started again to look like crazy they came back in to the house and stable and grabbed Bronia and said where are the Jews if you don't tell us where they are we will shoot you like a dog (na Kerkucie) that means on a Jewish cemetery, which is very degrading for Polish people as I mentioned before.
This search went on for 3 1/2 or 4 hours until finally they left and promised they will be back.
Bronia told us later they spoke about Jews and the situation the Jews are in, and he expressed himself that he would not hurt a Jew, he would not help a Jew but he would not hurt either, and asked Bronia how she felt about Jews, she answered if she know where Jews are she would turn them in to the authorities they would know best what to do with them. Time was going slower and slower the Swentons were getting very impatient. After that search we were sitting and thinking how to improve the bunker. Icia said lets dig an exit into the outside so if they find the entrance we can run out and maybe we will have a 50-50 chance of survival, so Icia goes in to Dziadek , Mr. Swenton with the new idea.
At first he agreed, then at night he thought it over and calls in Icia and says, how smart Jews are! When the Germans find the entrance you will all run out, and me and my children will be shot by the Germans, so the end was no exit (after all he was basically right it could happen).
One day Mr Swienton calls Icia and he says to him, he wants us to leave the house, he can not take it any longer he does not want to jeopardize his children's lives any longer and we should leave. Of course we had no place to go except to the woods, our chances of survival were slim and Mr Swienton knew it as well as we did, but we had no choice. Of course we were very saddened by it and our faces showed it, but like it or not we told him we will leave the next evening. The next day we packed what we will take with us and Mr. Swinton comes over and says, that every time before when I told you to go you cried and said where are we going to go, now I say go and you pack and you are ready to leave after I suffered with you for a year and a half and the war will end soon. So we were allowed to stay and happy to do so.
During our stay at winter time we were more relaxed because snow was very hard, to get on the mountain to the house. In the winter nights I learned to grind rye or wheat in a hand mill it was called (Zarno) in Polish instead in a mill the stones were turned by power this was turned by hand, with one hand you turned the top stone and with the other you deposited a hand full of grain every few seconds and that's how we made flower. The Swientons also grew cotton, so it was dried and taken out the ray material or whatever you call it, and I learned to spin on the machine and make cotton, and then we made sheets from it, the sheets were wet down and put out in the sun so it would get whither and softer. When I say machine I did not mean a power machine, it was turned by foot and twisted the raw material into thread.
Finally the day came the Russian army is coming in to liberate us out of that hell. The Germans are being defeated we will be free people again normal human beings. Pietrek went into the village to see and hear what is going on. He came back and told us the Russians are coming. He saw Russian soldiers on motor bikes going up and down the road so it is only a little time that Germans will be out.
The next day or so we sat quiet, a normal day, where our house was it was quiet like nothing is happening. I decided to go outside and lie down in the tall grass or wheat still being afraid to show a face. Planes were flying and being shot at, shrapnel were falling around but it felt already partially free. The next day or two we have to decide what to do, we decided to send out a patrol like, a front person to the village where our house was. Icia went to the house it was occupied by Russian officers and soldiers, they made headquarters out of it, he introduced himself and told them he is a Jew and this is the house we lived in until the Germans chased us out. He told them that we are a family of 6 persons. They apologized and said they are sorry they can not let us in the house because they have all the equipment set up and the war is still going on.
But we should come and they will see to it we should have where to stay. Icia came back to the Swientons gave us the whole report and the next day or so we are going home we are really free. The Russians gave us a house to live in very close to headquarters, we still had fear for the Poles, our neighbors so called our friends. The Russians fed us well and we started to think how to begin life.
The next day a young man is coming to us and he says I am a Jew he escaped from a transport and he heard that a Jewish family survived so he looked us up, he was the first Jew we saw. We did not know if any Jews survived! It felt like family so he stayed with us. A day or two later my father and I walk in the village a man walks over to us says good morning how are you Chaim he know us well and keeps on conversing and then he said to my father you know what Chaim if I would be you, I would go away from here, my father was shocked and says to him Franek his name was Franek Sliva. Franek what do you mean their are no more Germans here, he says I know but there are still some people that are killing Jews if they catch them. My father says who are these people he says I can't tell you who but run away from here. My father got upset and says to him, you better tell me who those people are, or I will go to the Russian officers and tell them what you said and they will take care of you they will shoot you. Franek did get scared and says there are gangs of A.K. it stands for Armia Krayowa the people Army. Some way we got word that in Rzeszow are some Jews that came out from hiding and woods partisans again Icia went to Rzeszow to find out what is happening.
Franek Sliva was right, some Jews that survived the whole war came to Rzeszow found living quarters and then went back to home towns and villages to find food, and some went to people that left things with them before things got really bad and wanted to get back some clothing some valuables and never came back never. Learning this news we decided to move to Rzeszow to be together with other Jews to be able to think collectively since we were for almost 2 years alone no one to talk to except the family and the Swientons.
In Rzeszow we found Mr. Faust & Ruth her cousins the Magenhaims and the Wetz-Weitz family from Frisztak and every one was telling their experiences how they survived and this went on day after day.
After we moved to Rzeszow Jews did not go to small towns and villages for fear of being killed, my brother Icia wanted to go to our village once more, we have left leather for shoes that our aunt left with us for safekeeping if they survive with a priest that was our neighbor. Icia usually slept in the same house whenever he slept over in the village this time he had a bad feeling he did not go to that house he went in to a barn telling no one and slept over that night. In the morning he went in to a luncheonette for breakfast and every one looks at him and one says you are alive!? We heard there was a shooting going on and that you got killed. Finding out later that they came to the house where Icia usually slept and wanted to kill him but he was not there but a member from that family jumped out the window and was running away and the bandits were shooting after him they thought it was Icia. They did not hit him. After that incident we never went to the village again.
We lived in Rzeszow for several months . I was going to the market selling flint for cigarette lighters usually we traded for clothing or food watches just to get by. We got in contact with our family in America my father had a brother and 2 nieces and nephew and many friends, they said we will send papers for you, but from Poland it was impossible so we moved again to Bytom and tried to go closer to Germany. From Germany is was easier to get papers to America.
During that time the Israeli Haganah was working to take out all Jews that wanted to leave Poland and bring them to then Palestine. Poland did not want to let the Polish Jews out of Poland. All other Jews from all over the world that were in concentration camps in Poland could cross over the border with no problem, so we traveled as Greek Jews. We destroyed our ID and the Haganah helped us cross the border. We had had a couple of pictures which were signed in polish for memory sand so we cut the writing away so the border guards should not find out that we are Polish Jews. In Bytom my brother married Ruth Faust and my sister Faiga married uncle Ella (Aussenberg).
Mr. Faust, Ruth's father managed to get, for money, false Arian papers for himself and for Ruth,. Mrs Faust and the daughter separated themselves and wandered away into strange villages where they would not be knows and worked as a farm maid and whatever they could do. Ruth worked on a farm for a while and the farmer was suspecting that she was Jewish, he went to the Polish police telling them he has a female farm hand and he thinks she is Jewish and he wants them to come to his house check out her papers and make sure she is not a Jew. Ruth knew that her boss suspected her being Jewish and she know that he went to the police to report her, but she had no place to go so she stayed on working and waiting for the police to come and probably shoot her.
For some reason the police did not come right away, the farmer was displeases with the service so he went to the German Gestapo the S.S. and told them the same story. In the mean time a man a polish man from the underground party found out about it probably from the Polish Police he took two men from his organization, dressed them in S.S. uniforms and sent them to pick up the Jewish woman from the farmer. They came in the house asked the farmer you have a Jewish woman working for you? The farmer said yes! and they ordered him to pick up here things and she will come with us. Ruth thought they will take her out and shoot her, soon they walked out they say to her don't worry we are not the Gestapo, Wladek Ksazek send us for you to pick you up before the Gestapo comes. They took her to Ksazeks house he kept her there for a while then took her several villages away so she can find work again. She found work with a lady farmer and worked for several months. One day an elder man walked in and Ruth sees it is her father he started to cry so the lady farmer says old man why are you crying? so he answered I am an old man I had my own farm the Germans took my farm away and now I have to look for a day of work to support my self. The women asked can you still work on a farm? He answered of course. I am still strong, he got the job and worked together with the daughter until the end of the war and the farmer lady never knew it was father and daughter and Jews.
When we were crossing the border from Poland to Czechoslovakia a friend of ours Lipka Yasem-Unger was wearing nice boots. One guard talks to the other and says that that bitch is wearing beautiful boots, we should take them off her feet. Of course she understood Polish, so she got up and walked around all the time so they could not get the boots.
From Poland we went to Czechoslovakia. From Czechoslovakia we went by train to Germany. In Germany we went to an absorption center in Minchen and then Unra sent us to Bamberg near Nurenburg. In Bamberg we stayed from Nov. 1945 till May 1947. Our family in America was working on papers to bring us to the U.S. In the meantime Phyllis was born to Icia and Ruth and Robert was born to Faiga and Ella.
Wtadek Ksiazek was a man that served in the Polish military police, he was against Germany, belonged to the polish underground was arrested several times by the Nazis. His party helped out to kill Jews but he himself helped some Jews to survive. He hid two Jewish girls over the whole war, after the Russians liberated us the two girls came out of hiding and someone shot through the window sand killed one of the girls, and so we lost many Jewish people that survived Hitler over the whole war and fell in to the polish murderers that could not see a few Jews survive. During the time when we lived in Rzeszow someone shot through the window to Mr Swienton and wounded Pietrak in the leg because he helped Jews to survive.
Pietrek stayed with us until his leg healed. We were in Bamberg until we received Visas to go to America. We came from Brenen Hafen aboard the Marine Marlin to America on May 7, 1947 we were awaited by two or three card. After all war were eleven people, nine grown ups and 2 babies. Ruth's father came with us also after all he survived with his only daughter so my family made papers for him too.
We came to Newark NJ but we could not stay all together in one place so we were divided between the family. Uncle Ella, Tanta Faiga and Robert went to Brooklyn to Mrs Dinhofer she was a relative from my mothers side, he got a job and lived in the Bronx and Brooklyn until he moved to Vineland and bought the farm on Garden Rd. Uncle Icia got a job at the Wiquic Dinner as a dish washer and then he got a job at Steiners Catering he became a cook and worked there and managed the catering until he and the family moved to Vineland to the farm and Mill Rd. Rose got married to uncle Jack at Stihers. lived in Newark until they came to Vineland and settled on the farm on Roosevelt Blvd.
Sally married Uncle Pinya one year later uncle Pinya had the farm on East Ave. so Sally too came to Vineland. Actually Sally and Pinya was the first one on the farm, we all followed Sally that is how we all wound up in Vineland. Since I was the youngest my family wanted I should have a more prestigious job so the family gave me a job with a brother of my cousin and nephew at Carles Michaels Co. in Elizabeth NJ. When we came to America for reasons of survival during the Nazi occupation my father registered me three years younger so as soon as I came I was of age to register with selective service.
I was classified 4F and was not bothered until Apr. of 1952. I was still working for the same company and was promoted to an outside salesman, I had a new car and was feeling like a somebody. All this ended on April 15th 1952. I was called to report to Selective Service again and was reclassified 1A and never let me go home again. I was put in the Marines got me on a train to Buford South Carolina. When we got off the train I became a Maring immediatly. Fall in and march to Paris Island, boot camp.
I was in Paris Island for 9 weeks training and got ten days leave and to report back to Paris Island to the first divisions third replacement battalion and was shipped to camp Pendelton for advanced training. I was assigned to the Fifteenth draft which meant we will be leaving for Korea on Sept. 15. I was not an American citizen yet, I felt very sad and felt it was very unjust for the US government to send me to war without even being a citizen. I was also wondering and thinking to myself what if I get caught prisoner and I am not an American citizen I might be charged as a spy. I was sitting in the tent on the field out and thinking, what I can do. I decided to go to the office and ask if I can become an American citizen before I sm shipped out.
I came in the office a colonel sitting at the desk, I saluted and asked for permission to speak. The colnel was very kind he asked me to sit down and I told him the whole story. The colonel felt very sympathetic with me, he got on the phone and made several calls, I did not know whom he called nor what he said. After a while he asked me to go back to my barracks and he will call me after he finds something out. After an hour or so he sends a marine after me and asked me to go back to see him. I came to the office saluted again he said at ease and asked me to sit down.
He started off, Ressler I am sorry I can't do nothing for you, I have called everyone in Washington I know, I was told that there is a law that ninety days before an election no one can become citizen so to make you a citizen we would need a special amendment and that can take years. I never thought of asking why can't I be shipped out after the Nov. elections. Any way I was shipped out on Sept.. 15th to Korea.
It took about two weeks to get to Japan, we were about three thousand Marines aboard plus the crew, the men expected to get a few hours leave in Japan before going to Korea that was in Ykuska Japan. We waited and waited and no liberty the men were getting restless the officers sensed and decided to give us four hours liberty and not a minute longer, if you don't show up on time we pull out and you will be charged with desertion. For every man aboard ship there was a woman waiting ashore to be bought for sex. Husbands were selling wives and children were selling mothers. Coming back the medics were waiting at the gangplank with needles you got laid you got a needle and so on.
We got to Korea and rested up a couple of days and we went of to the front lines, we got up the hill it was night, before we got in to the trenches the captains picked out my squad to stay back as a reserve squad. Some time later the Captain comes around looking for volunteers to go to school for small arms sound detecting there were no volunteers no one know what it was then he calls out Reed, Wright and Ressler fall out, we came out of the bunker we were picked up by jeep and went back to division that was about ten or twelve miles back from the front lines. We got back we were fed well we got good beds to sleep on it was really nice.
The next day we go to school, in class there were officers and enlisted men, I see the colonel that I went to see at camp Pendleton when I asked to become citizen. I greeted him he asked how I am doing and that's it. We stayed in school several days it was exactly the way it sounds, to detect snipers, where they were shooting from. After a few days we were sitting around eating good food and as far as I was concerned I could stay there the rest of the war. But my buddy Reed was missing home, he wanted to get his mail so he wanted to get back to our unit. Wright and I wanted to stay back but Reed was a corporal and we were private 1st class so he out ranked us so he went to get permission to go back to our company. When we got back out company was already back for a rest every one was showering cleaning up and so on.
I believe it was the next day on Sunday a call comes through, any one that wants to go services-church can go at such and such time. I was thinking to myself why can't I go to services? I knew of two more Jewish men in our CO. so I went over to them and asked them if they want to go to services? They say why not! I went over to the command and I ask I want to go to services but I am of Jewish faith and want to go to a Jewish chaplain. The officer looks at me like I am crazy, then he says, how many are you? I say three. You know the only Jewish chaplain is back in division and if there would be more of you I would give transportation! I say to him we can hitchhike if he gives us a chit-a paper he says Ressler where do you think you are? We are only 3 miles from the front lines any way he gave us a chit and the three of us were on the way to services.
We spent there most of the day. On the way back we were picked up by our Co. commander and we went to our respective place. Around eleven or twelve midnight we were awoken to fall out we were told the gooks broke through the lines and took over the hook that is a mountain. and we have to go and take this mountain back from them. We were ordered to take with us only light fighting gear, trucks pulled in and we took plenty of ammo and we took off. We got to a spot we got off the trucks and dug in and waited. The night was quiet in the morning we were told the gooks broke through another hill and we are going to take it back. We got on the truck again and this time we are told to take as many hand grenades as we can carry. We got to the foot of the hill and waited. The captain tells us we will jump off at day break, we will be covered by planes smoking in front of us to give us cover and the first bunker you will see on top is empty in the second bunker, and in the third are gooks.
We synchronized our watches and seven o'clock sharp we took off. We got to the top of the hill and all hell broke threw, we were losing many marines. I was down in a trench crouching with my M1 between my knees and the rifle out holding it to his stomach he keeps taking to me and I did not know what he was saying a buddy of mine jumps in back of him and says Murray I got him in the back. The Marines in general did not take prisoners, because it was very dangerous to bring them back to headquarters so if someone brought in a prisoner he got six dayd R&R back in Japan for reward. R&R is vacation. My friend asked me Murray if you don't want to take him back I will so he took him back to headquarters and got six days vacation in Japan. Ed wrote me later he had the best six days in his life. Later during day I got wounded by shrapnel I was picked up and carried over to a helicopter stations and was flown to a field hospital and was operated there.
We took the hill back from the No. Koreans-Chinese but we lost about half of the company that day. After a couple of days I was transferred to a hospital ship and then to Japan to a hospital. At the hospital a young marine comes over to me and asked Ressler where did you get hit? I joked and told him I came from the circle ward-crazy he said no kidding where did you get hit. I said why do you ask he said you are going home. I said how do you know? Your bunk is marked air evac.
After a few days I was asked what hospital I want to go back in the States? I chose St.Albans hospital in NY it was the closest Naval hospital near home. While in the hospital I met a guy from Yonkers NY and he became my buddy, but every time he wanted to introduce me to someone he did not introduce me as Murray but this is my Jew body and this went on for a while and it bothered me a lot. So I introduced him as my guine buddy, to pay him back. He was also going to St. Albans Hospital so we traveled all along together. We flew from Japan to Midway Island then stopped in Honolulu Hawaii and on Thanksgiving we stopped in San Francisco at Travis Airforce hospital.
We were served a real Thanksgiving dinner, during dinner he says to the other two guys something about the fucken Jews and my thanksgiving dinner did not go down my throat but I waited till we got back to the room. I waked over to him and grabbed him by the neck and told him if I ever hear you saying a word about the fucken Jews I will dig your eye out of your head. He says I did not mean anything why are you getting pissed off!
I did not want to bother with him any more, he tried to make up with me but I could not be friends with him any more. After I healed I was given a choice where I want to finish my time of service I chose Bayone NJ because again it was the closes home, I lived in Newark NJ then. In Apr 1954 I was discharged at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
I married Bella in Dec 1955.