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Why is north always shown on the top of maps? Why are the famed Assam teas of India growing with less flavor? Why will 3D movies not survive? And why did Arthur Frothington build a steam-powered trombone? Fortunately I work in a library, where whys dissolve.
Librarian Greg Hill knows where to find the answers to these, and a host of other questions.
...'All that was' is a testimony arching across the first twenty five years of my life. It begins in Lodz, when a little Jewish girl lived in the bosom of her doting parents, and ends with a stateless refugee landing in Australia. In a way it is a search for balance between a blithe childhood and the aftermath of the Holocaust. A daunting quest...
With this epilogue we come to the end of Lusia Przybyszewicz's profoundly moving story of courage and survival during the dark days of World War Two. Lusia escaped from the Warsaw Ghetto, then worked as a "slave'' in a hotel in Nazi Germany, daily fearful of being discovered to be Jewish. After the war she lived in near poverty in Paris and other parts of France. Eventually she emigrated to Australia, where she built a new life for herself.
All That Was is a splendid literary achievment. Copies of the book are available from Lusia at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
To read this work from the beginning click on All That Was in the menu on this page. Having read all 47 chapters don't be surprised if you feel compelled to go back to Chapter One to read through them again.
"Thankfully, the rough weather abated as soon as we passed through the Suez Canal, to embrace the infinite vastness of the Indian Ocean. From then on the air temperature began to rise markedly. The hot nights heightened our discomfort in the unventilated dormitories. To escape the stifling heat, the younger generation converged on the deck. The considerate Dutch crew supplied us with hammocks, which we contrived to suspend from the metal configurations above us. From up there, as the gentle rocking lulled us, we were rewarded with a bird's-eye view of the dark expanse of the seas under the star-studded skies. The sight was magical!...''
Lusia Przybyszewicz and her fellow passengers make the best of a long and not untroublsome voyage to Australia. Then the joy of journey's end. "On a fine spring day in April 1947 Johann de Witt sailed under the Sydney Harbour Bridge and docked at Woolloomooloo. Scores of small sailing boats escorted us on our way to the wharf. Their occupants tooted and called out words of welcome.''
To read Lusia's wonderful story from the beginning click on All That Was in the menu on this page. The book is available from Lusia at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW, 2030 Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
...One fine, mild afternoon in March 1947, after some twenty four hours of bedlam on board, the ship was finally ready for departure. In anticipation of the great moment the multitudes gathered on every deck, eager to find a vacant spot by the railings. As the castaways jostled for positions, many bare arms exposed the Nazi concentration camp numbers.
At the sound of the siren everyone gazed through the dark clouds of smoke that billowed from the funnel to see the wondrous sight of our floating refuge, released from its moorings. There was complete silence on board as the ship drew slowly away. No one stayed on the wharf to bid us farewell.
Not surprisingly, the atmosphere was charged with emotion. We were leaving behind Europe, the land of our birth, where the hopes and dreams of our youth had turned to ashes. From then on our future destiny, for better or for worse, lay in the New World...
Lusia Przybyszewicz says farewell to Europe and sets sail for a new life in Austrlaia.
To read more of Lusia's vivid and often frightening experiences in war-time Europe click on All That Was in the menu on this page.
Lusia's wonderfully readable autobiography is available from her at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
...a famous American rabbi on his way to a congress in Basil, Switzerland, was invited to dinner to the Hepner household. Such distinguished guests would eat only at the table of respected, well-known members of the Orthodox Jewish community.
As befitted the extraordinary event, Mutti prepared a very special wholly Kosher meal. The Fleischig set of porcelain and corresponding silver cutlery were all laid out on the white starched tablecloth. The wine glasses gleamed. Everyone felt a little nervous with anticipation.
Minutes before the eminent rabbi arrived, Mutti returned to the kitchen to begin the gentle reheating of the main course - a goulash, I suspect. To her utter horror she found their spoiled-rotten, rusty cat, Miquette, relishing the stew directly from the pot. Once the cat had touched the stew, the food could not be salvaged. For dinner the honoured guest was served two boiled eggs with bread and butter...
Lusia Przybyszewicz gets a job in Paris working for the trade union movement, but Australia now beckons.
To read earlier chapters of Lusia's wonderful and dramatic life story clivk on All That Was in the menu on this page. The book is available from Lusia at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ("25 Australian, plus postage).
Continue reading "Chapter Forty-Four - More Abandoned Plans" »
...We all fell instantly in love with our rustic hideout at the foot of Mont Blanc. The roomy cottage was fully equipped, including even linen. It stood in an overgrown, sprawling garden by a brook. Wedged in between mountain chains I felt magically transported into a heavenly kingdom.
Our holiday routine guaranteed maximum relaxation. In the mornings, in perfect weather, we would climb the steep winding path to the nearest plateau, where cattle grazed for up to six months of the year. As we approached, we could hear the chime of little bells tied to the beasts' necks. A divine music to our city ears!...
Lusia Przybyszewicz takes a break from her studies in Paris for an idyllic Alpine holiday with friends. Lusia's story of her wartime ordeal in the Warsaw Ghetto, of working as a slave in a German hotel, and her attempt to re-build a life after the defeat of Nazi Germany is a work of high literary merit which deserves to be read and re-read.
Copies of the book All That Was are available from Lusia at PO404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 plus postage).
...Madame's endless knavery became apparent almost at once. Her penchant for meddling in other people's business went hand in hand with her extreme avarice and fits of senseless envy. To top it off, she scarcely went out or had a wash. Consequently, we were obliged to put up with her continuous malodorous presence.
She was of stocky build. She shuffled through the house in shabby worn-out woollen garments, leggings, and slippers. Her squinty eyes were the only sign of animation in an otherwise impassive face that was ravaged by age and bitterness. In the evenings, after the briefest of ablutions, she donned a discoloured long flannelette nightie. She was ready for bed...
While Lusia Przybyszewicz continued her studies in Paris, she lived in sordid surroundings. Her landlady, Madame L, was a character straight out of Balzac.
Lusia experienced the horrors of the Warsaw Ghetto, working as a slave in Nazi Germany, the heady days of freedom in post-war Paris, and eventually the challenge of a new life in Australia. She has captured all of this in the most compelling prose. Her autobiography is a classic account of survival. Read earlier chapters by clicking on All That Was in the menu on this page.
The book is available from Lusia at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030 Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
...I remember spending my night with my friends, on a mat on the floor beside their bed. They slept in the only pair of pyjamas they owned; Jasia wore the top and Stasio wore the pants.
Their kitten slept in a corner of the tiny bedroom. They told me, how one early morning they were awakened by the cat's desperate meowing from afar. Still half-asleep, they raced to the street, and rescued it from the barbed wire entanglement. In the rush they had forgotten about the division of the pyjamas, but luckily no one was about at this untimely hour to witness their discomfort...
Lusia Przybyszewicz catches up with friends she had not seen sincer their time together in the Warsaw Ghetto in August, 1942.
Lusia's account of the trials and tribulations she experienced in Poland and Germany during the war years is unforgettable. So too is the story of how she built a new life for herself in France, then Australia, when the conflict ended. Her book All That Was is autobiography at its very best - a literary work to read, remember and treasure. The book is available from Lusia at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
Continue reading "Chapter Forty-One - Holding Out n Paris" »
...As I turned the door key to enter the dinghy room, a man tried to follow me in. He put his foot in the doorway. He was Algerian - many Algerians lived in the area. As there was no one around to help me, I had to use all of my strength to push him out of the door. For a while he kept his foot on the threshold. I kept kicking it until it slid out, and I was able to slam the door shut...
Back in Paris, having parted from her boyfriend, Lusia Przybyszewicz has great difficulty in finding a suitable room of her own.
Lusia's autobiography, All That Was, is a vivid account of the horrors experienced by Jewish people under the Nazi regime, and of her struggle to build a new life when the war was over.
The book is available from Lusia at PO 404, Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
...We were so intensely happy in the seclusion of Nogent-sur-Seine that for the time being the making of any plans or decisions was postponed. In our world of fancy we willed the time to stand still...
But time moves on. Lusia Przybyszewicz and her lover Marcel were soon to go their seperate ways.
Lusia's story of the horrors of the war years, and her life after the Nazi regime had been defeated is more gripping and vivid than a novel - and far better written than most novels. To read earlier chapters please click on All That Was in the menu on this page.
The book is available from Lusia at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian, plus postage).
Continue reading "Chapter Thirty-Nine - The End Of A Dream" »
...My hosts' family comprised two adults and three children. I no longer remember their surname. They all lived in an old tumbled-down cottage. At night they shared the limited space with an assortment of poultry and a couple of goats. In the daytime the animals were let out into the small farmyard next to the vegetable enclosure.
Pork meat was considered a luxury, and it was reserved for important festivals only. Two pigs would be slaughtered each year - one for Christmas and the other for Easter. The leftover meat remained marinated in big earthenware pots.
The centre of all activity was the kitchen, the main features of which were a cast-iron wood stove by the wall, a trestle table with a long bench on each side in the middle of the room and an old-fashioned kitchen press in the corner...
Lusia Przybyszewicz begins a new job teaching the children of Polish refugees in Nogent-Sur-Seine.
Lusia's wonderful book, All That Was, an account of great wartime suffering and of the return to peacetime after the downfall of the Nazi regime, is available from her at PO Box 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
Continue reading "Chapter Thirty-Eight - Nogent-Sur-Seine" »
...we had to move out of his flat. For a short while our only alternative was to stay at a cheap hotel in the vicinity. Especially in Paris, such places are notorious for giving you the blues (le cafard). In these circumstances it was no wonder that my beloved was showing all the signs of rejection and defeat, just as my self-esteem and fighting spirit were on the rise...
Lusia Przybyszewicz and her French boyfriend Marcel, living in Paris after World War Two, realise that many unexpected obstacles have to be overcome before their plans can be realised.
Lusia's wonderful book All That Was can be obtained from her at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
"Marcel, a Bordelais by birth and disposition, was not well acquainted with his capital city, whilst my own knowledge about Paris derived mainly from reading and school studies. Presently, time was ripe to gain some real life experience! And what could be more exciting than exploring the metropolis on foot? Hence, day after day, we roamed through the city like a couple of kids lost in their dream world. The scope of our adventure was awe-inspiring...
I remember a morning visit to the Louvre. We were the only people present in the Antiquities section downstairs. In the corner of one hall, we were suddenly confronted by a pair of gigantic feet. We soon learned that they were a sculptured replica of Buddha's feet. 'Ca sent les pieds dans le coin' (it smells of feet in the corner), observed Marcel. Our laughter reverberated throughout the vast chambers.''
Lusia Przybyszewicz and her French boyfriend Marcel, savouring freedom, explore Paris, a city in the process of re-awakening after being occupied by the Germans in World War Two.
Lusia's wonderful book All That Was is available from her at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
...The air raids had destroyed all the major cities in the Ruhr district. We did not see even a semblance of a railway station along the way. Everywhere the devastation was on an enormous scale. In large clearings amongst the rubble several detention areas, fenced off with barbed wire, held huge numbers of German prisoners of war. They had been stripped not only of their armour but also of any remaining vestiges of their former power and self-importance. They just stood there, gaping and exposed to the elements as they awaited the pleasure of their captors...
A train arrives to carry those used as slaves by the Germans to the west, and freedom.
Lusia Przybyszewicz describes epic events so vividly that you begin to feel as though you too were there on those ecstatic end-of-the-war days.
Lusia's wonderful book All That Was is available from her at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia 9425 Australian plus postage).
"They came up with the outrageous idea of pulling down the barracks. The wooden walls and contents, they reasoned, would provide fuel, indispensable for keeping us warm. The following morning several Frenchmen embarked upon a novel task. Armed with the oddest assortment of tools, they completely dismembered many of the detested wooden abominations...
The exercise was satisfying in every way. We felt warm and cosy again. Moreover, the hot coals provided inspiration to the cooking enthusiasts while the idle majority kept singing and dancing. In the glow a carnival atmosphere reigned supreme. We carried on like some primitive tribes performing their ancient rites. Sleeping became superfluous.''
Lusia Przybyszewicz and the other liberated factory "slaves'' adapt to their new-found freedom.
Many years later, Lusia wrote about her terrible war-time experiences, producing a work of considerable historic and literary value. Her book All That Was is available from her at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
Continue reading "Chapter Thirty-Four - Operation Acquisition" »
"A total transformation of K.D.F. Stadt happened before our very eyes. Gone were the regimented, goose-stepping Germans in their green fatigues and heavy black jackboots. In their place American servicemen, clad in light khaki and stylish laced-up brown boots, were parading in the streets to the tunes of Broadway hits. Members of their Military Police with 'M' inscribed on their helmets were making futile attempts at curbing our unstoppable exuberance...''
In this wonderful and profoundly moving chapter of her life story Lusia Przybyszewicz describes her experiences during the confused, chaotic, jubilant days when she again experienced freedom as the war moved towards its end.
Lusia's unforgettable book All That Was can be obtained from her at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
"Sobbing, tongue-tied, and drained of energy, I stood in the crowd. All of a sudden, one of the officers came up to me. Someone apparently told him that I spoke a little English. I barely understood what he was saying, but his kindly smile said it all.
He appeared to be in his fifties. His hair was greying at the temples. He looked at me with the eyes of a loving uncle - full of concern and goodwill. Deprived of any gesture of compassion for such a long time, I dissolved into tears. I wanted to say so much, but I could not find any words. Eventually, still crying a little, I managed to compose a sentence in fractured English. He looked horrified when I said: 'You should kill all the Germans in the world.'
He exclaimed, 'How can a young woman's heart be so filled with hatred?' his voice strained with emotion.
How could I possibly explain this to him? I just kept on crying. He opened up his arms and let me weep on his shoulder. He held me tight for a long while. Although I understood none of his soothing words, I did eventually calm down enough to shake hands and thank him for his concern. He made me promise to look to the future, kissed me on the cheek, wished me good fortune. And then he was gone....''
American officers arrive, and Lusia Przybyszewicz and her fellow workers, who have been used as slave labour by the Germans, celebrate their liberation day.
Lusia's wonderful and deeply moving book All Thast Was is available from her at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
Continue reading "Chapter Thrity-Two - A Visit To The Gestapo" »
'On Sunday afternoon,' he continued, 'during an inspection one of our officers discovered a foul-smelling tray of cooked meat morsels on top of the cupboard in the canteen. It must have been left there for sometime. As you are the person in charge of the canteen, it is obvious that you placed the tray there. We hold you completely responsible for this action.'
Lusia Przybyszewicz is summoned to the police station to answer questions. Although no action was taken against her, in order to feel more secure in case the Nazi authorities discover that she is Jewish, Lusia inserts a cyanide capsule into the hem of her working skirt.
Lusia's book All That Was, an uplifiting account of living through the darkest days in human history, is available from her at PO 404, Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
...On one noteworthy occasion, as the Russians were returning to their camp from work in their usual military formation under escort, they managed to smuggle in a pig, dressed in the Soviet army uniform. A Russian prisoner on either side led the animal upright on its hind legs while they held it steady under its front legs. I actually witnessed this uproarious scene....
Lusia Przybyszewicz, now running the canteen in the Volkswagenwerk, sees sights that are gruesome and incidents that are hilarious in the final days of World War Two.
Lusia's book, All That Was, rich in detail, a glorious and shining record of the indomitability of the human spirit, is available from her at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
Lusia Przybyszewicz goes to work in the huge Volkswagenwerk factory, but this is February,1945, Allied troops have reached the Rhine, the German armies are retreating...
Lusia's clear memory and vivid writing style bring alive the horrors and tribulations experienced by millions during World War Two.
Her unforgetable book All That Was is available from her at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
Continue reading "Chapter Twenty-Nine - Rutabagas And Responsibility" »
"My first night at the camp was pretty ghastly. Before I retired to my bunk, nudged on by the extreme cold and impending curfew, I hurriedly joined my new mates under a lukewarm shower in the communal block. At about 9:00 p.m. all the access doors to the barracks were locked for the night by the German guards in charge of the camp. Within our Stube, in the dim light of a few electric bulbs, one of the women lit a fire in the cast-iron wood stove. Apart from billows of acrid smoke, the little warmth it yielded made barely an impression in the huge chamber. We all remained fully clothed inside.''
Lusia Przybyszewicz, having lost her hotel job, is banished to the Polish Camp near the huge Volkswagenwerk.
Lusia, possessed of a clear memory and a vivid writing style, recreates the fears and horrors of being Jewish in Poland and Germany during World War Two.
To read earlier chapters of her wonderfully well-written story click on All That Was in the menu on this page. The book is availale from Lusia at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
Continue reading "Chapter Twenty-Eight - Banished To The Polish Camp" »
...One evening, in between air raids, we witnessed a strange kind of marriage ceremony unfolding in the function room of the hotel. Only young German women were present. Each one stood in front of a chair, empty except for a small glass jar in the centre. Apparently the chair symbolized the girl's fiance who had gone to war, and the jar contained his semen. A clergyman of some sort conducted the service in the shadow of Hitler's portrait...
Lusia Przybyszewicz and her two Polish companions continue to work at a hotel in war-time Germany. But the Allied troops are approaching. The war is nearing its end. And major changes are afoot.
Lusia's book All That Was, a detailed, vivid and absorbing account of her experiences, is available from her at PO 404Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
...I vividly recall hearing the special broadcast from London of Churchill's victory speech in French on his visit to free Paris. I was in tears amidst my rags and dusters.
Back in the kitchen the three of us celebrated the liberation of Paris after four years of Nazi occupation by smashing the largest china meat platter in the place; we had reserved it just for this occasion. For good measure S. threw a cooked potato at the ceiling. We apologized profusely to the enraged Cheffin for the 'accident.' We said that we had just bumped into each other while one of us was carrying the irreplaceable plate...
Lusia Przybyszewicz and her two Polish friends continue to "slave'' in a German hotel - with growing optimism as the tide of war turns decisively against the Nazis.
Lusia's memorable book All That Was can be obtained from her at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
...In the kitchen we adopted the habit of smashing a piece of crockery of appropriate size whenever we heard the news of a village or town being liberated.
Owing to the prevailing notion that the Poles were intrinsically devoid of any work ethic, the breakages were attributed to our general clumsiness. The evidence was there for everyone to see in the increasing number of teacups with missing handles. They would spring up in great numbers on the kitchen sink after S.'s washing up routines...
Allied troops are making major advances after landing in Normandy. Lusia Przybyszewicz and the other Polish "slaves'', while working in a German hotel, continue to resist the Nazis in subtle and amusing ways.
Lusia's wonderful autobiography All That Was is not only a very good read: it is an expression of the human will to survive, and even thrive, during the direst circumstances. The book is available from Lusia at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
Continue reading "Chapter Twenty-Five - Blueberries And Bedbugs" »
... One morning Frau Hagemann handed me a tray with two cups of tea. They looked identical. She explained that one of them contained a laxative. I was to deliver this cup to a guest in room five. The other cup contained a calming potion for a nervous wretch and was to be delivered to room nine. Needless to say, I accidentally got the cups mixed up. My oversight resulted in the nervous fellow developing diarrhoea on the train to Berlin and the other poor soul remaining constipated...
There are high comic moments amid the drudgery of wartime "slave'' labour in a German hotel for Lusia Przybyszewicz. Lusia's considerable literary and narrative skills enable the reader to live alongside her through the horrors, fears and humorous moments of World War Two. Her book All That Was is available from her, PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
Continue reading "Chapter Twenty-Four - Keep On Keeping On" »
…The German media admitted few of the Wehrmacht's many defeats or the devastating allied bombing on many military and civilian targets throughout the Reich. In spite of such omissions, the general lowering of morale became increasingly evident everywhere as the winter gave way to spring 1944. Our guests often spoke amongst themselves of their uncertainty about the future. Soldiers on leave, their tongues loosened by drink, often revealed more than they should have…
Lusia Przybyszewicz and her Polish companions, enforced to slave in a German hotel, become increasingly confident that Germany is losing the war.
Lusia’s detailed and wonderfully well-written life story, All That Was, is available from her at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia (($25 Australian plus postage).
Continue reading "Chapter Twenty-Three - Renewed Confidence" »
…Suddenly, amongst the throngs of our many prospective 'business partners' with whom the four of us were engaged in buying and selling goods, Marcel was there. Our eyes met and I instinctively knew that something very special had occurred...
Love blossomed for Lusia Przybyszewicz in war-time Germany. Even though Lusia and her companions were working as “slaves’’ in a hotel, there was time for romantic outings.
Lusia’s wonderful book All That Was is an unforgettable account of courage and a determination to survive during one of history’s most terrible decades.
The book is available form Lusia at PO 404, Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian plus postage)..
Continue reading "Chapter Twenty-Two - Love At First Sight" »
…My other grave responsibility was to maintain Hitler's portrait on the wall in its immaculate condition. Here I found an outlet for my contempt. As I stood on my ladder, whenever possible I would spit at the glass protecting the hated visage before rubbing it with one of my dusters…
Lusia Przybyszewicz and her Polish compatriots, drafted in wartime to work as slaves in a German hotel, resist the Nazis in every possible way.
With an accumulation of details and a vivid writing style, Lusia conveys the constant tensions of being Jewish in fearful times.
Lusia’s wonderful book All That Was is available from PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian, plus postage).
…When the Flieger Alarm (air raids) siren sounded, the entire German staff descended to the hotel bunker (air shelter). It did not seem to matter that R. and I were responsible for maintaining it in perfect order at all times. The three Polish slaves were forbidden from sharing the bunker with the Germans, but the poor devils had no idea how severely they were being punished for this blunder! S. made it a habit to have a pee in the fresh water tank…
Lusia Przybyszewicz and two other Polish girls, slaves employed in a German hotel, fight back in subtle and unsubtle ways.
Lusia’s wonderfully readable book All That Was is available from her at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian, plus postage).
Continue reading "Chapter Twenty - Commerce And Boyfriends" »
...“Over time, during that short moment when we were free of the Germans, we learned to pinch food. We would, for instance, half-fill our cups with sugar and then keep refilling them with coffee from the coffee machine until all the sugar was used up. At the right moment we stuffed our apron pockets with whatever else seemed safe to take. I developed a habit of placing a large dirty-looking hanky over my loot, aware that no self respecting German would investigate it for fear of catching a disease.
I craved butter. Sometimes, in a dark corner, I would swallow a whole lump of margarine stored in my pocket. I felt a little uneasy the morning the Cheffin made a comment about a finger mark she spotted in the margarine in the fridge.’’...
Lusia Przybyszewicz and two other Jewish girls who had also escaped from the Warsaw ghetto had to work extremely hard in a German hotel – but there were lighter moments amid the toil and worries, and the comfort of new-found friendship.
Read Lusia’s deeply moving story from the beginning by click on All That Was in the menu on this page. The book is obtainable from her at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW, 2030, Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
Continue reading "Chapter Nineteen - Work Makes Life Sweet" »
…I could glimpse the bar through the servery window. It was packed with military personnel of various ranks. Some were standing by the counter waiting their turns; others were already seated at the tables. All the while, engaged in animated conversation, they sipped the foaming liquid from their half-litre glass mugs. The noise was deafening and the air thick with cigarette smoke.
As I watched the scene, I realized there and then that in my mind I had to bury the irretrievable past. For the foreseeable future my only option was to embrace this alien scenario. If I were to pull through I had to learn how best to conceal my inner bewilderment from any prying eyes. Over time I let this resolve permeate my psyche until a new persona emerged: 'Christa, das Putzmadchen'…
Lusia Przybyszewicz, having escaped from the Warsaw ghetto, settles into the drudgery and routine of work in a German hotel.
Lusia’s never-to-be-forgotten life story, All That Was, is available from her at PO Box 404 Vaucluse, NSW, 2030, Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
Continue reading "Chapter Eighteen - Hotel Gaststatte 'Am Hochenstein'" »
…At last our great day arrived! After a compulsory shower and a spray of a smelly disinfectant we were assembled in a large building (possibly a school) for our medical examination. We were ordered to strip and then, stark naked, to file slowly in a single file around an exceptionally long oblong table on all sides of which more than a dozen white-coated German male doctors were seated on high stools with their backs to the table. Each of us had to pose in front of every one of them.
Each doctor apparently had his own individual field of expertise. Depending on that area of expertise, he would select the appropriate part of our bodies for special attention. With an appropriate instrument our heads would be measured and our eyes, ears, nose, throat, and lungs inspected. Inevitably the examination took on a downwards direction. By the end of the ordeal nothing was left to the imagination…
Lusia Przybyszewicz, acutely aware of the dangers of continuing to pass herself off as a Gentile in Nazi-occupied Warsaw, decides that her best chance of survival is to volunteer to work in the “Wolf’s Lair’’ – Germany. She has to endure a humiliating medical examination before being allowed into the country.
Lusia’s well-written and profoundly moving autobiography can be obtained from her at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
Continue reading "Chapter Seventeen - In The Wolf's Lair - Arrival" »
…At long last, about the time of the Ghetto Uprising, the terrible truth about my family was revealed. Somewhere near Lublin, most likely at the notorious Majdanek concentration camp, both my father and my brother, together with many other Jews, were ordered to dig their own graves, before being shot into them.
The exact date of this particular act of barbarism remains unknown to me, but the grisly details crystallized in my mind when, in August 1997, I inspected the well-preserved extermination camp. It would be hard to imagine a more evil, mind-shattering sight on earth. We both felt ill when we finally left this lasting monument to Nazi bestiality….
Lusia Przybyszewicz’s heart-rending account of Nazi atrocities in Poland during World War Two will stay in the mind for ever. Lusia’s survival, and her ability to write about those tragic times so vividly and memorably, is a glorious triumph of good over great evil.
Lusia’s brilliant book All That Was is available from her at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
Continue reading "Chapter Sixteen - Tribulations And Salvation" »
“”On her way she was stopped at the 'barber's' to have her hair cut off. At the next stop she had to strip and leave her clothing in a neat pile. Shoes had to be tied with a piece of string supplied on the spot by the constantly yelling and threatening Ukrainian guards. Further on, all the valuables were to be left with an 'official'- murderer. Before she reached the 'showers', stark naked, she was issued with a cake of soap. Throughout these sadistic, vicious proceedings a ten member Jewish band led by Arthur Gold was forced to play military tunes to drown the wailing of the victims….’’
Many years after after the ending of World War Two Lusia Przybyszewicz visited Treblinka, the camp where her mother, and hundreds of thousands of other Jews, were put to death. “I can never suppress tears when I think about the way my mother died.’’
Continuing her own story, Lusia, who escaped from the Warsaw ghetto, describes how she was befriended by an “aunt’’ and “uncle’ who found her a job in a pocket torch factory.
Lusia’s book All That Was can be obtained from her at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
Continue reading "Chapter Fifteen - Salvation With The Arians" »
“We witnessed with the deepest sorrow and disbelief as Dr Korczak led his orphans along the streets from the orphanage at the corner of Sliska and Sienna to the Umschlagplatz. I was standing on the opposite footpath in Zamenhofa Street near the intersection with Novolipki Street. I was reduced to tears as I watched the tall, erect, bearded silhouette of a brave man lead the little children to their death. They were walking in pairs. Some were holding hands…’’
Lusia Przybyszewicz describes the daily horrors experienced by Jewish people who were herded into the Warsaw Ghetto in 1942 by Nazi invaders.
Lusia’s never-to-be-forgotten words will make readers weep – and it is right that they should do so.
Lusia’s vivid and well-written autobiography – a work of literary merit and historical importance - can be obtained from her at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian, plus postage).
Continue reading "Chapter Fourteen - The Warsaw Ghetto - Part Three" »
“The most shattering street scene I witnessed in the course of winter 1941 was that of a mother and child, both flat on their stomachs, voraciously licking the pavement upon which they accidentally spilled their precious soup. It was probably their only daily ration from a welfare kitchen.
Another heart-wrenching street scene that my friend S. (more about her later) remembered best from that period in the Ghetto was that of a man who had died in a gutter; the moment he expired, he was stripped of all his clothes right there in the street…’’
Lusia Przybyszewicz’s eyewitness account of what life was like for the many thousands of Jewish people imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto by the Nazis in World War Two makes for harrowing reading.
But Lusia’s words should be read and re-read, and never forgotten. Civilised societies are fragile creations. They need to be defended by alert citizens who are aware of the horrors of history.
Lusia’s marvellously well-written book, All That Was, is available from PO 404, Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Austrlian plus postage).
Continue reading "Chapter Thirteen - Warsaw Ghetto - Part Two" »
“Before the year 1940 was over, the Ghetto streets were rapidly filling up with beggars in tatters. Urchins were smuggling potatoes from the Polish side in the double lining of their parkas. Bulging at the waist, they would push their merchandise through holes gouged out in the walls surrounding the Jewish enclave. On some occasions, the German Wache (guards ) would show some kindness to Jewish children by closing their eye to such activities.
Food shortages became acute. Without money, you could obtain only watery soup from the soup kitchens set up by the Judenrat. People were beginning to starve to death…’’
Lusia Przybyszewicz and her family, along with hundreds of thousands of other Polish Jews, are herded into the Warsaw Ghetto. Living conditions worsen day by day.
Lusia’s wonderfully well-written testament to survival, All That Was, can be obtained from her at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian plus postage).
Continue reading "Chapter Twelve - The Warsaw Ghetto - Part One" »
“I discovered a curious characteristic about myself, of which until that time I was absolutely unaware. Friends astounded me with the notion that I had an Arian looking face! For a Jew in Poland in 1940 such words proffered the greatest compliment to which one could aspire: it was a colossal advantage!
I am immediately reminded of a joke that appeared in the form of an advertisement shortly before the war in a satirical revue, Szpilki-Pins a publication not unlike the English 'Punch': 'Will exchange a motorbike in good order for an Arian grandmother'.
I could not bring myself to believe my good fortune at first, but I felt nevertheless tempted to try it out. My early experiments proved encouraging. As the time went on, my face became my greatest asset; ultimately, it was of an immense help to my survival…’’
Lusia Przybyszewicz and her family are now in Warsaw, where the Nazis are about to launch the horrors which involved the incarceration of Jewish people in the Ghetto.
Lusia’s wonderfully well-written autobiography, All That Was, can be obtained by writing to her at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia (price $25 Austrlaian, plus postage).
“The details of all the torture inflicted by the Germans on the defenceless population of Lodz have been well documented in many works, I will therefore concentrate only on some events that I personally witnessed…
I remember seeing a Chasid being forced by strokes of a whip to his back to move a grand piano out of a first floor apartment window. The window was much too small for such an operation. I saw another poor wretch being dragged by his beard, screaming, along the street.
Soon beating up Jews became an everyday event. It was almost a pastime to some SS men. Polish and Volksdeutch cooperation helped the Nazis to identify the Jews, until the entire Jewish community became identifiable by the yellow Stars of David displayed on the front and back of our outer clothing. Non-compliance with this particular order meant death. The new law applied even to babies in prams.’’
Nazi troops march into Poland in September, 1939 – and Lusia Przybyszewicz witnesses the commencement of the greatest evil.
Lusia’s noble and wonderfully well-written autobiography, All That Was, is available from PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW, 2030, Australia ($25 Australian, plus postage).
“One day, as I was picking blueberries, I remember stumbling upon some particularly large ones strewn all over the path. I promptly added them to those already in my basket. On my return home, the horrified Frania advised me they were goat droppings…’’ The teenage Lusia Przybyszewicz relishes life, but there is a growing uneasiness in Poland because of developemtn in Germany.
Lusia’s wonderful and moving book, All That was, can be obtained from PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Austrlian plus postage).
Continue reading "Chapter Nine - And They All Came Tumbling Down" »
Lusia Przybyszewicz’s parents and relatives imbued in her an admiration for what she considers to be the essential components of Jewish family life - homeliness, warmth, boundless loyalty and a strong sense of inclusiveness. “Their overwhelming love and compassion make any shortcomings I recall fade into insignificance.’’
By 1943/44, all of them, just like most of the others who feature in her story, had perished in the Holocaust.
Lusia’s profoundly moving life story, All That Was, can be obtained by writing to her at PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW, 2-30. Australia (price $25 Australian, plus postage).
“On another occasion, we celebrated the beginning of spring. In spite of snow in the streets, the two of us decided to follow the custom of having a gelato in the very trendy 'Chlodnia Wloska' (an Italian Gelateria). It was situated in a basement in Piotrkowska Street. Jasia lead the way down the stairs of the establishment, with me following behind. Suddenly, she seemed almost kowtowing to someone down below, before retreating hurriedly back up the steps. It looked hilarious. I was forced by her rear, back into the street. There, she explained that our Headmistress in person was enjoying a gelato. Since we were wearing socks instead of the prescribed stockings, she did not dare to proceed. I fully agreed with her. Undetected, we hurriedly withdrew….’’
Lusia Przybyszewicz , in sparkling prose, tells of her literary schooldays in Lodz, Poland.
Lusia’s deeply moving story, All That Was, can be obtained by writing to her at PO 404, Vaucluse, NSW, 2030, Australia ($25 Australian, plus postage).
“As we were walking, the wood unexpectedly opened onto a meadow, where a solitary cow stood grazing. My companion was a Jewish boy from the city, and he froze for a second in speechless terror. Then, without a thought for me, he ran away at great speed, leaving me alone with the cow…’’ Lusia Przybyszewicz’s extraordinary memory enables her to conjour up portraits of her schoolday companions. But the darkest clouds were on the horizon. When Hitler’s hordes seized Poland, many of those companions were to end up in Treblinka, one of the many Nazi death camps.
Lusia’s profoundly moving and wonderfully well-written autobiography is available from P0 404, Vaucluse, NSW, 2030, Australia ($25 Australian, plus postage).
“Our History professor, G., had constant trouble with an ill-fitting upper denture. In the course of animatedly discussing the Crimean wars, he would suddenly catch his set of teeth in flight and push it back into where it belonged. At such moments we would unsuccessfully endeavour to suppress convulsions….’’ Lusia Przbyszewicz recalls with with amused affection some of her teachers.
Lusia’s happy schooldays were soon to end when Nazi troops marched into Poland. Her gripping life story, All That Was, can be obtained from PO 404 Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia ($25 Australian, plus postage).
“My first day at school was an abomination. My Mother had me all spruced up: in a brand new navy blue uniform with a round buttoned-on white starched collar, a navy blue beret, the rectangular leather 'tornister' strapped to my back, brown socks and shoes. Mother was taking me along. As we stepped out of our front door, I was terrified at the whole prospect. I made a terrible scene on the landing, yelling and vomiting all over the stairs. Nonetheless, I was eventually led to the school….’’ Lusia Przybyszewicz takes us back to 1929, the year she started school in the city of Lodz, Poland.
Lusia's wonderful autobiography, is available from PO 404, Vaucluse, NSW, 2030, Austrlia ($25 Australian, plus postage).
“Quite unexpectedly, a lady appeared, walking towards us with her little black chihuahua on a leash. At the sight of the dog, sheer terror took possession of me! I jumped into the pram, boots and all, on top of my brother. We both screamed, but for different reasons of course. Our horrified Fraulein pushed the pram at a trot all the way home….’’
Lusia Przybyszewicz, writing in rich and vivid detail, recalls her childhood in the city of Lodz. These were the golden days in the 1930s, before Hitler’s troops invaded her homeland – days when the horrors of the Warsaw ghetto holocaust could not even be imagined.
Lusia’s book can be obtained from PO 404, Vaucluse, NSW, 2030, Australia ($25 Australian, plus postage).
“Mother often scolded me for being naughty. Once, when I was a young child, I hid in a kitchen cupboard to surprise my Mother on her return from town. I did not know that the cupboard contained a 'kopa' of eggs (that is, 60 eggs). Unwittingly, I created a king-sized serving of raw scrambled eggs. The ensuing mess was indescribable, and Mother went into a rage!…’’ Lusia Przybyszewicz recalls in wonderfully vivid detail her comfortable childhood in Poland before the onset of World War Two.
Lusia’s book, All That Was, which gives an account of how she survived the Warsaw ghetto holocaust then worked in Nazi Germany under an assumed identity, is available from PO 404, Vaucluse, NSW, 2030, Australia ($25 Australian, plus postage).
Continue reading "Chapter Two - Ramblings Of A Little Girl" »
“In their attempt to contain the effects of Polish anti-Semitism, many Jewish middle-class parents officially gave their newly born babies Christian sounding names. In keeping with this practice, I was given the lengthy name of Melania, which was meant to correspond to the Hebrew word Malke, meaning 'the Queen'. With the Polish passion for diminutives, I soon became Melusia and, thence, Lusia….’’
Lusia Przybyszewicz, who was born in Lodz, Poland, tells of her early memories. Her life journey was to take her through the horror years of the Nazi regime’s attempt to exterminate the Jews of Europe.
Lusia’s book, All That Was, can be obtained from PO Box 404, Vaucluse, NSW, 2030, Australia - $25 Australian, plus postage.
Today Open Writing begins the serialisation of Lusia Przybyszewicz’s horrifying, yet at the same time inspiring, life story.
Lusia, who was born in Poland, lived in the Warsaw ghetto during the darkest days of human history. Her parents died in the Holocaust as Hitler’s Nazi henchmen slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Jews.
Because of her Aryan appearance and gift for languages, Lusia managed to escape from her native land, ending up in Germany. She worked there during the war, adopting a false identity.
In the year after the war she lived in Paris, then emigrated to Australia, where she has lived since 1947.
Lusia’s story is at times harrowing, yet courage and the ability to endure shine through her words. Although English is not her first language, she is a wonderful writer.
Her story, chapter by chapter, will be posted in Open Writing on successive Fridays.
Her book, All That Was, is dedicated to “my dearest children’’. It is available, $25 Australian plus postage, from PO 404, Vaucluse, NSW 2030, Australia.
