Nathan Rostker
"Don’t go easy. They broke our spirit but still take someone or others with you if it happens again. But I can’t tell anyone what to do; everybody works in a different way. "
Name at birth
Naftali Rostkier
Date of birth
09/28/1928
Where were you born?
Where did you grow up?
Ostrolenka, Poland
Name of father, occupation
Mordechai,
Made dairy products
Maiden name of mother, occupation
Ita Kawer,
Homemaker
Immediate family (names, birth order)
Parents and eight children
How many in entire extended family?
Hundreds. They all had big families on both sides. They were getting married, having children.
Who survived the Holocaust?
Me, my father and a cousin. I do not know about my extended family.
My father was murdered six months after liberation by Polish AK, an organization to keep Poland apparently “pure,” only for non-Jewish Poles. I returned to my hometown one day after my father was murdered. Polish AK came and took my father out of our house and killed him along with other Jews. I have a tattoo on my forearm to memorialize my father, a living Matzevah (monument).
The Nazis were taking Jews out of their homes. My mother told me to run, which I did. I never saw my mother again. I was later captured. Me and other Jews were put into a cattle car. As the Germans were closing the door of the cattle car, I ran out. I fled to the forest and was in hiding since November 2, 1942, the liquidation of the Lomza Ghetto. I joined up with Partisans while in the woods. After the war, I moved to Israel and then later to New York.
Name of Ghetto(s)
Where were you in hiding?
In the forests of Poland
Occupation after the war
Butcher for Hebrew National Meat Company
Spouse
Evelyn,
Homemaker
Children
Martin, mediator Gregory, manager for severe head injury services Ronald, financial planner
Grandchildren
Seven
What do you think helped you to survive?
I wanted to live to see the end of Hitler and see the Germans lose the war, which I did.
What message would you like to leave for future generations?
Don’t go easy. They broke our spirit but still take someone or others with you if it happens again. But I can’t tell anyone what to do; everybody works in a different way.
Interviewer:
Charles Silow
Interview date:
04/04/2011
Experiences
Survivor's map
