Hall of Testimonies

Danuta Borzemska

And returning to how our journey began … my mother’s family lived in the West. At the onset of war, they were all escaping from the Germans. So my mother’s entire family found themselves at our home in Czortkowa. Father was transferred from Trybuchowa to Czortkowa. This was the provincial town of the Woj. of Tarnopol. We had been living there for some time. My brother was born there. He was two years older than I. Then I was born there. So when the war broke out, my mother’s entire family escaped from the Germans, and came to us, thinking that they would live with us and everything would be fine here. They arrived with only the clothing they were wearing. But before this, before we knew that they were coming to us, Father had to liquidate his working place, and they had to travel past the Romanian border and escape from Poland. Father and the members of his work place. And you have to remember that I was a child there, only 9 years old. What I remember is what I am telling you. There could be some errors here, but this is what I recall very well. So Father is taking us with him – Mother, my brother and me – because he says that war has broken out and it will not be safe for us here because of the kind of work he did. We all left for Romania, and my mother receives a telegram at the border saying that her entire family has come to our place from Wadowic. So Mother thinks of her own mother and sisters that have come to her, so she immediately decides to go back and get them. We will all be escaping together. So Mother took my brother and I, and returned to Czortkow. Her family had already moved into our place, and we are all together. In the meantime, the Russians invade. On Sept. 17th, the Russians invade. This all happened shortly before the invasion. Mother thought that we would all escape together, but now the borders are closed, and it is impossible to leave Poland.

Polish