Shalom Yoran - Being beaten by Polish villagers
Interview
Shalom Yoran - Being beaten by Polish villagers
Shalom Yoran - Being beaten by Polish villagers
Transcript: And then about 20 local partisans attacked us and we were five with, uh with all the tools you know, to to kill us. And I was, uh I was going the first so about three of them attacked me and some way I pushed them and started to run. And I run ooh, maybe maybe 15, 20 kilometers I mean, I think so. Because I run for for couple of hours 'til they caught me. But they caught me because they saw my footsteps and they were used you know, that when the first snow is they go to a to hunt because they can see exactly the where the animals are going, yes? So they were used to it and slowly, slowly they came around me and they were they were already five of them and what I remember only that a big piece of wood broke on my head and I lost my conscious. And when I woke up a little I saw that I'm lying on the on the snow naked except my briefs and they are trying trying to remove my shoes my my high shoes. And the shoes were so wet that it was difficult. So one of them sat on me and other was pulling the shoes out. And this probably would woke me up. And then the one was sitting on on on on me turn around and I see and I was already half conscious and that he has a big knife and in one in one hand he starts to look where is my heart and he keep the knife like that ready and that moment I was not fully conscious but I was I knew what happening. And I cried out in Polish because this was my language I want to live. And the moment that I cried out I want to live his hand stop in the air and distinctively when I saw that it stop I started to shout shout more. And then he said, be quiet if you be quiet I will not kill you. If you don't stop I kill you. So I stop. But I look all the time on the hand. The hand the moment that the hand start to move I started to shout. Then they started to talk between themselves. And they said, look, we don't know who is he. Maybe he's not a Jew. We don't know. Maybe after they will come and ask us maybe he's a a a Russian maybe he's a Pole. And you know and they said, let's take him to the German and give him to the Germans and let them do they will give us a pint of, of vodka and, [a] kilo of soap 'cause this was give up, if he's Jewish and or a partisan. And that's, uh then they started to drag me to to my luck they started to fight each other who is taking my coat and who is taking my shoes and who is that... and and three of them arguing between themselves went and two of them stayed and I made myself that I am half conscious and they were dragging me on the snow. My hand. But I was already fully conscious by that time. And when I say that the other three already far and only two are here I jump and push them I pushed them out and started to run. And I said you know, I was running so fast that if I was in Olympic probably would have the first, uh be number one. I didn't look back first but when they start to run after me but I was light I was I was absolutely naked except my briefs. And I started to run and run and run and after about half maybe 20 minutes only I turned the the head and I saw them from far, far, far and then they disappeared. They I and then I stayed in the middle of storm naked. And I couldn't stop running because the the the snow was was, uh hurting my feet so I was all the time run when you run then you don't feel it so I run and run and run and run I run to some village finally. And I didn't have other choice so the first house where I saw I knock on the house and the woman came out and saw me naked and said she cross herself she saw the time that Jesus coming back from the heaven (Laughs) because that I said, in Polish also now I said where is where is this village where do you go to this village? Not that the real village but I wanted to go with that no, but the other way. So she showed me and crossed herself again and I started to run and finally I, uh by morning so it means that I run from nine o'clock in the evening by first light was at seven so I run probably you know, many hours. I found the I found the woods and I came back to the to the to the our shelter.
Video provided by Great Projects Film Company
Transcript: And then about 20 local partisans attacked us and we were five with, uh with all the tools you know, to to kill us. And I was, uh I was going the first so about three of them attacked me and some way I pushed them and started to run. And I run ooh, maybe maybe 15, 20 kilometers I mean, I think so. Because I run for for couple of hours 'til they caught me. But they caught me because they saw my footsteps and they were used you know, that when the first snow is they go to a to hunt because they can see exactly the where the animals are going, yes? So they were used to it and slowly, slowly they came around me and they were they were already five of them and what I remember only that a big piece of wood broke on my head and I lost my conscious. And when I woke up a little I saw that I'm lying on the on the snow naked except my briefs and they are trying trying to remove my shoes my my high shoes. And the shoes were so wet that it was difficult. So one of them sat on me and other was pulling the shoes out. And this probably would woke me up. And then the one was sitting on on on on me turn around and I see and I was already half conscious and that he has a big knife and in one in one hand he starts to look where is my heart and he keep the knife like that ready and that moment I was not fully conscious but I was I knew what happening. And I cried out in Polish because this was my language I want to live. And the moment that I cried out I want to live his hand stop in the air and distinctively when I saw that it stop I started to shout shout more. And then he said, be quiet if you be quiet I will not kill you. If you don't stop I kill you. So I stop. But I look all the time on the hand. The hand the moment that the hand start to move I started to shout. Then they started to talk between themselves. And they said, look, we don't know who is he. Maybe he's not a Jew. We don't know. Maybe after they will come and ask us maybe he's a a a Russian maybe he's a Pole. And you know and they said, let's take him to the German and give him to the Germans and let them do they will give us a pint of, of vodka and, [a] kilo of soap 'cause this was give up, if he's Jewish and or a partisan. And that's, uh then they started to drag me to to my luck they started to fight each other who is taking my coat and who is taking my shoes and who is that... and and three of them arguing between themselves went and two of them stayed and I made myself that I am half conscious and they were dragging me on the snow. My hand. But I was already fully conscious by that time. And when I say that the other three already far and only two are here I jump and push them I pushed them out and started to run. And I said you know, I was running so fast that if I was in Olympic probably would have the first, uh be number one. I didn't look back first but when they start to run after me but I was light I was I was absolutely naked except my briefs. And I started to run and run and run and after about half maybe 20 minutes only I turned the the head and I saw them from far, far, far and then they disappeared. They I and then I stayed in the middle of storm naked. And I couldn't stop running because the the the snow was was, uh hurting my feet so I was all the time run when you run then you don't feel it so I run and run and run and run I run to some village finally. And I didn't have other choice so the first house where I saw I knock on the house and the woman came out and saw me naked and said she cross herself she saw the time that Jesus coming back from the heaven (Laughs) because that I said, in Polish also now I said where is where is this village where do you go to this village? Not that the real village but I wanted to go with that no, but the other way. So she showed me and crossed herself again and I started to run and finally I, uh by morning so it means that I run from nine o'clock in the evening by first light was at seven so I run probably you know, many hours. I found the I found the woods and I came back to the to the to the our shelter.
Video provided by Great Projects Film Company