Helena: At first everyone was frightened, we did not know what will happen. Everyone just stayed home slightly afraid to even go out to buy groceries.
Mariusz: Where did the Nazis live when they entered the city of Tykocin?
Helena: Nazis stayed where they pleased, we even had 12 Nazis living in our family house.
Mariusz: When the Nazis lived at the family house what were your reactions?
Helena: Surprisingly they did not cause any harm to any one living at our family house. They seemed very wealthy and happy individuals, at night we had trouble sleeping they liked to drink and then sing and laugh all night.
Mariusz: Since the Nazis were very powerful at that time and they could've gotten away with anything did they steal anything?
Helena: Since we were very poor at that time they did not steal anything from us, but other people both Polish and Jewish did get their belongings stolen. We only had one cow and a pig. One day the Nazis did try to kill our pig but my mother convinced them that since the pig was dirty in mud it was very ill.
Mariusz: Since it was illegal to leave the house at certain points how did you take care of the cow since it has to be left on the field.
Helena: My brother for couple of months was sleeping in a forest hiding away from the Nazis so he can take care our only hope for survival. In the morning when everyone was sleeping, my mother and I ran to the forest where my brother was sleeping to pick up the milk. We gave him some food and then we ran home with the milk.
Mariusz: What if the Nazis saw you leave the house, do you think they would do something for disobeying the rules?
Helena: Possibly my mother and I would probably get beaten, but if there was no milk then there would be no food. We had to survive somehow. One day when I was walking to the forest to get the milk, 4 Nazis stopped us. I was very afraid and I did not know what will happen next. Surprisingly one of the Nazis took out a chocolate bar. He broke it in half, one piece for me and one piece for him. I was very afraid that the chocolate would be poisoned but when he took a bite out of his half he then told me it was ok to eat it. He then told my mother that he has a same age daughter in Germany and that she looks very alike. After that he told us to run away and be careful.
Mariusz: Did everyone hear about the plan that they will kill all the Jews from Tykocin?
Helena: At first no one heard about anything, Polish and Jews were sent to concentration camps to work and then one evening Nazis told that all the Jews the following morning were to meet at the square market. Everyone thought they are going to concentration or labor camps. Nobody knew what will happen to them. The following morning four trucks showed up. They were forced to go to a nearby town "Zawady" and the next day they were first beaten, some killed and then thrown into the ditches. Polish citizens of Lopuchowo were forced to put the dirt over the ditches, even if more than half of them were heavily injured and still alive.
Mariusz: Didn't anyone from Lopuchowo try to save anyone since they were still alive?
Helena: That was impossible, Nazis were everywhere and if any Polish person even got near the forest, with no questions asked he and his whole family would get murdered. It was told that the ground in the forest was moving for three days, People in those ditches were still alive, it was very horrifying that these people, our all life neighbors are being killed and no one can help them.
Mariusz: Were there any survivors?
Helena: Some Jews who were hiding, and some Jews who were not present at that time survived. One of those survivals was my family's friend.
Mariusz: Do any of the Survivals come to visit their home town Tykocin?
Helena: Some of the survivals unfortunately died out of old age, But their children and grandchildren come visit Tykocin all the time. One of the Jewish survivals organizes trips for youths so they can learn about the town of where their ancestors lived. When my grandmother was alive one of the survivors used to visit her all the time. The Jewish pilgrims as everyone calls them first visit the Synagogue. After they visit their synagogue they walk around the streets of Tykocin and then they walk to the cemetery which is in Lopuchowo in the forest.
Mariusz: Were any of our family members killed during the occupation of Tykocin by the Nazis?
Helena: Five members of our family were sent to concentration camps. Two of these members which is my husband's father and brother never came back home. They said that my husband's father got sick and then he died, but who knows the truth? There were no documents of how he died. Most likely like many other people he got killed and burned.
Mariusz: The family members that survived the concentration camps, were they ordered to do some kind of work?
Helena: Of Course, My husband's mother and sister were ordered to make gas masks. They were ordered to do a specific amount of gas masks in a day, if that amount wasn't reached then they would be punished.
Mariusz: What were the situations like in a concentration camp?
Helena: The situations in concentration camps were awful. One piece of bread and some soup was given to all the workers. My husband's wife since she was doing a great job with the gas masks she received an extra piece of bread. She gave that extra piece of bread to her daughter.
Mariusz: What were the reactions of the Polish citizens when they had to be sent to concentration camps?
Helena: Polish people of course they were very afraid when they found out that they have to go to concentration camps. At first every Polish citizen that was old enough to work was forced with their documents to the Square Market. They were inspected by the Nazis, and as days went by they were sent to concentration camps to work. One day when a German truck came to load more Polish citizens to work, the driver accidentally took the wrong turn and started heading for the forest of Lopuchowo. All the loaded passengers thought they are taken to the forest to get killed. Four of these passengers jumped out of the truck. Unfortunately for doing something like this they were murdered at the spot. The Nazis got really mad, one of the Nazis took the father's child by the feet and threw him against the steel truck head first and then shot couple of times.
Mariusz: Since many people were poor in Tykocin, did anyone steal anything from the empty Jewish houses?
Helena: Mostly everyone was scared, but there was one incident across the street. A Polish woman got her belongings stolen from the Nazis and she had no way to get her food since she was very poor. One day she stole some Jewish belongings from the empty house. When she got caught by the Nazis she begged for her life and they let her go. The second time she got caught she was begging for life again, but this time she was shot to set an example for the rest of the town.
Mariusz: What was the most frightening moment during the whole occupation by the Nazis?
Helena: The most frightening moment was when the Russians came and forced the Nazis out of Tykocin. When the Nazis were out of Tykocin, the Russian army stayed in Tykocin for awhile. After couple days have passed there were German bombardments on Tykocin. At night every single light in Tykocin had to be shut off, if seen by a German plane a little piece of light then that house would get bombed. I remember at night there was a house across the street with a light on. In a matter of seconds it was destroyed by a German plane, the explosion was so strong that it broke our windows. It was horrifying, everytime a plane went across the sky of Tykocin everyone just sat under a table silently praying. I remember when I heard the sound of the plane engines my stomach started aching.
Mariusz: How did the Russian army treat the Polish citizens in Tykocin?
Helena: They were horrible people, they stole anything they can eat. I guess it was because they did not eat anything for a couple of weeks, and once they saw some food in Tykocin they stole it.
Mariusz: How did World War II change your life?
Helena: World War II changed everything, it changed how we lived and it changed how we look at life. Every time I watch the news and I hear about what is happening in the Middle East about the war, I get very scared. I do not wish anyone to see what I have seen. Families destroyed, houses destroyed, hunger, pain, and loved ones never to be seen again.
