Jacobs, Fred and Regina_2007, Oral History, July 31, 2007

July 31, 2007

Fred and Regina Jacobs Auschwitz survivors who came to the North End after the war

Fred: we observed all the holidays to a more modern way than we had in Europe.

On tzedakah boxes: Regina:yes, not just one a few. You always donate to the poor people and you always help the poor people. Like it came on Friday night the kids would send to my little brothers rabbi with some food on Friday night because he didn’t have. For another poor family you tried to share at home, you didn’t live for yourself, you tried to help the next person. You did. That’s how it was in my house.

Fred ( on neighbors): we got along perfectly with no ifs or buts

Regina: no problem, no problem, it was very lovely, very friendly, very nice

Fred: we had wonderful people who gave us a hand when we needed it when we came here. There was a mr and mrs. Frush she was working at Jewish Social Service and her husband was an insurance agent. Mrs. And Mr. Brown he worked at G. Fox and Co and she had an open house for us, anybody who came she fed him, she helped,. She did the most beautiful things we had another couple here. Mrs. Gibber, pearl Gibber and her husband they opened their home to us to teach us English from A to Z an apple a pear every night their house was open for teaching in addition we had Mr. And Mrs. Heitzmeyer they came to us and said there is an apartment somewhere next to the hospital you can buy the house, you can open a business, we will lend you the money when you have it you give it back to us. They were wonderful.

Fred: I had a cousin in Poland at the time and he came out from the camp with tuberculosis and at that time came out the new drug for the tuberculosis. A stronger one then penicillin. I went to where we used to take our prescriptions jacks drug store on Albany avenue and he says don’t worry I;’ll take care of it for you. He gave us the prescription and I sent it to Europe to my cousins and also another one on Cappen st.

Regina: the one on Cappen st. gave you the prescription

Regina: they thought we came from a jungle, tried to teach us how to turn on the faucet. We were from Europe!

Fred: our place where we lived was the meeting place for survivors

Regina: the first stop was our apartment they could talk our language, ask questions.

Fred: a lot of couple courted in this house

Regina: we were like a big big family. We tried to erase things. Forget the killings. ‘

Fred: in the beginning everyone was looking for someone to hang on to