| Len's cousin
"No Russian"
Len: All right. You were saying that you were going from Vienna to Steier.
M: We were going from Vienna... Actually, we went to Steier. Where did you get the name Steier?
Len: You just told me.
M: No, it was to Linz. Steier was actually where we had to go, but I didn’t think you would know the name of Steier. Steier was the camp, the Jewish refugee camp. We went to Steier, actually, but we went to Linz, you know. And we had to pass the Russian zone. And we were told strictly, “Don’t tell them, don’t give them any inkling that you understand Russian, because the Russians are looking for people who understand Russian, and they might send you right back to Siberia.” You see, they are looking for people who ran away from Russia, and as soon as they find out that you are from Russia, they take you right off the train.
So, we were told a hundred times, “Please, no Russian.” And every car had what you would call a foreman, and all the way, that guy kept reminding us, “Please, don’t forget, when the guard comes for inspection, when we open up the door, don’t say that you understand what he says. We speak only German.”
And sure enough, we came to the border, and a Russian guard knocks on the door, and says in Russian, “Open the door!” And that foreman, who warned us all the time, says, “One moment, comrade,” in Russian to him. We almost felt we were falling out of the train, and we were all scared. But he didn’t mind.
But they warned us not to do it, because it happened cases, if sometimes it’s a political officer or something, and he noticed that you speak Russian, he could take you off the train. But all the time he kept on reminding us, “No Russian,” the Russian says, “Open the door.” So right away [tape interrupted] |
