My name is Roslyn Goldofsky, my maiden family name was Szarf. Also, my adopted name was Merenstein. In Poland, my Jewish name was Ruchla. During the war, in Polish, I was known as Rozalia, Rozia. I had a Polish family name too, Borzecka. When I came to the States, I became Roslyn.
I was born in Piaski Szlacheckie, that was in the Lublin district of Poland, on March 22, 1929. I have two sisters, Bella and Rivka. Bella is my twin, she is eight hours older then me. We had a windmill, we had a general store and land that was cultivated. The war broke out in 1939. By 1941 we were chased out of our home by the German edicts and we had quarters at a neighbor who gave us something a little better then a barn to live in. A Jew could not maintain their own home, and if they wanted to be free, not go into a ghetto, they had to work for a gentile. So mother farmed us out to gentile friends. To stay with them. So that we would not be herded into a ghetto.
I was fully aware what was happening to the Jews. The Germans used to close off the ghetto and catch the Jews and send them away - or shoot them. My cousins, two or three of them were shot pretty early.
A Jehovah's witness by the name of Jozef Borzecky, he was a poor man on the fringes of society, he took us in for a full month. My mother had a good rapport with him. I also presume because we had that store and many times they came to buy and they never had money. So I guess he was grateful for that. Also, since he believed what the Book says, he wanted to help another human being. Not only that, he helped to arrange false papers for us. My sister from that time had a different name and she was a friend, not a sister. Mother decided to take us to different locations around Warsaw, she was intelligent, bright and courageous. She claimed we were displaced Poles looking for a home and work.
Mother used to tutor us; she used to prepare questions and answers for us. If they ask you this, you say this, if they ask you that, you answer that. She had anticipated questions and answers for us. I learned during the war that if somebody asked me a question to filter first the answer and not readily answer right away. She made us learn Catechism and she instructed us to go to Church to observe how the other people act. It saved our life when we were arrested.
Then the Russians came. It was 1944, in the fall. We were afraid of rape. I did not fear for myself, I did not look my age, but my sister was a full-blown woman, she was two years older than me. We hid her behind a trapdoor in a cellar. Then, after a few weeks, mother decided she should go to Lublin to see who had survived, and she left me with my older sister. She came back and she said: “You know who is alive? Moshe Merenstein. He wants to marry me.” I said: Marry him.” We all said it. But I could not bring myself to call him father.
After the war, everybody wanted to go to the Americas. Who wanted to stay in Poland? They hated us even after the war. I remember when I was a student and walked with some Polish friends on the main street, boys walking opposite us, they used to point out, you see, she is Jewish. They told me they had to tolerate me because I was an excellent student and I could help them in class. You just felt it. When I was a Catholic, as a Pole, I was respected and liked. As a Jew, I was hated. We wanted to leave. We could not stay there.
My name is Roslyn Goldofsky, my maiden family name was Szarf. Also, my adopted name was Merenstein. In Poland, my Jewish name was Ruchla. During the war, in Polish, I was known as Rozalia, Rozia. I had a Polish family name too, Borzecka. When I came to the States, I became Roslyn.
I was born in Piaski Szlacheckie, that was in the Lublin district of Poland, on March 22, 1929. I have two sisters, Bella and Rivka. Bella is my twin, she is eight hours older then me. We had a windmill, we had a general store and land that was cultivated. The war broke out in 1939. By 1941 we were chased out of our home by the German edicts and we had quarters at a neighbor who gave us something a little better then a barn to live in. A Jew could not maintain their own home, and if they wanted to be free, not go into a ghetto, they had to work for a gentile. So mother farmed us out to gentile friends. To stay with them. So that we would not be herded into a ghetto.
I was fully aware what was happening to the Jews. The Germans used to close off the ghetto and catch the Jews and send them away - or shoot them. My cousins, two or three of them were shot pretty early.
A Jehovah's witness by the name of Jozef Borzecky, he was a poor man on the fringes of society, he took us in for a full month. My mother had a good rapport with him. I also presume because we had that store and many times they came to buy and they never had money. So I guess he was grateful for that. Also, since he believed what the Book says, he wanted to help another human being. Not only that, he helped to arrange false papers for us. My sister from that time had a different name and she was a friend, not a sister. Mother decided to take us to different locations around Warsaw, she was intelligent, bright and courageous. She claimed we were displaced Poles looking for a home and work.
Mother used to tutor us; she used to prepare questions and answers for us. If they ask you this, you say this, if they ask you that, you answer that. She had anticipated questions and answers for us. I learned during the war that if somebody asked me a question to filter first the answer and not readily answer right away. She made us learn Catechism and she instructed us to go to Church to observe how the other people act. It saved our life when we were arrested.
Then the Russians came. It was 1944, in the fall. We were afraid of rape. I did not fear for myself, I did not look my age, but my sister was a full-blown woman, she was two years older than me. We hid her behind a trapdoor in a cellar. Then, after a few weeks, mother decided she should go to Lublin to see who had survived, and she left me with my older sister. She came back and she said: “You know who is alive? Moshe Merenstein. He wants to marry me.” I said: Marry him.” We all said it. But I could not bring myself to call him father.
After the war, everybody wanted to go to the Americas. Who wanted to stay in Poland? They hated us even after the war. I remember when I was a student and walked with some Polish friends on the main street, boys walking opposite us, they used to point out, you see, she is Jewish. They told me they had to tolerate me because I was an excellent student and I could help them in class. You just felt it. When I was a Catholic, as a Pole, I was respected and liked. As a Jew, I was hated. We wanted to leave. We could not stay there.