Marion C. testimony 1995

Marion C. was born on November 28, 1936 in Berlin, Germany. She describes her family. She explains that her parents’ businesses were destroyed during Kristallnacht. She describes how her parents were assigned to do slave labour within the city while she stayed in a daycare centre. She describes her father’s attempt to have their family smuggled across the Swiss border and his arrest. Marion describes escaping with her mother who had traded identity cards with a non-Jewish friend (who was later denounced and killed). She recalls receiving assistance from a priest to travel to the Netherlands. She recalls encounters with soldiers. She describes arriving in Arnhem and learning that Holland had been occupied. She describes going to a Catholic church and receiving money to travel to Amsterdam where there was still a Jewish community. She describes being separated from her mother and going to live with a young couple, Boy and Mia Edgar. She recalls having her hair bleached. She describes her arrest, transfer to a children’s centre across from the Schouwburg and interrogation. She describes her escape with help from the underground. She describes hiding in a convent. She describes living with a Catholic family and hiding during searches by German soldiers. Marion describes liberation by Canadian troops then the return of German troops. She explains that her foster family placed her with a Roma family during this time. She describes a second liberation. Marion describes her mother’s experience hiding during this time and their reunion. She recalls not recognizing her mother. She describes returning to Amsterdam. She discusses learning about Judaism after the war; keeping kosher, and attending Jewish school. She describes their unsuccessful attempts to locate Marion’s father. She describes immigrating to the United States to live with relatives. She describes first living in New York, then St. Louis, Portland, and Seattle. She describes meeting her husband, marriage, and children. She discusses her foster family. She discusses her mother’s mental health following liberation. She discusses the difficulties sharing her experiences with her mother and other relatives. She speaks about her attitude towards children and her own childhood. She discusses her faith. Marion shows photographs and artefacts.