“The war gave [me so many?] opportunities to work that I often feel embarrassed by that exceptional generosity of providence. I have finally found the right field of activity,” is how Mrs R. begins her story. She is 37 years old. She is an engineer-agronomist, a rare specialty among our Jewish women.
Before the war Mrs R. worked in the CKB,386 as a clerk in the general section. The nature of her work did not offer prospects for more distinguished activity. However, half a year before the outbreak of the war the uncertain political situation had almost halted her workflow. Yet Mrs R. yearned to take action and bold steps to achieve something. Her memories from that period are permeated with a longing for change that would elevate her to a level of creative activity. Mrs R. recalls the words of her colleague from the office: “Let the war finally begin. Perhaps then we will finally start working, organise kitchens, act, and live.” Those words proved prophetic in her case, as the organising of kitchens became her first job after the outbreak of the war.
Mrs R. lived with her husband in Grochów [near Warsaw]. The town was severely bombed in the very first days of military operations. Many buildings were destroyed and there were numbers of casualties. Panicked and scared, people were leaving their flats. Mrs R. was pregnant. She decided to go immediately to Warsaw to her parents. She consigned her flat to her maid’s care and took only those things which she feared losing the most. She went out onto the street carrying her parcels. She was alone because her husband had to stay in Grochów. Always teeming with people and animated, Grochowska Street looked extraordinarily different. Mrs B. was mortified—there was not even one droshky or cab. A crowd of people was waiting at the bus stop to flee to Warsaw to their relatives or friends, which was her own intention, as well. She joined them. She waited an hour, then another. All in vain. The buses did not travel there any longer. By a stroke of luck a military lorry rolled up and the soldiers picked her up by way of exception and took her to her parents’ address.
This was on 3 September 1939. The next day Mrs R. returned to work. From then on [70] she walked to the office every day despite increasingly
