WSQ: Women's Studies Quarterly

When the swine broke into the attic through the roof, a few of them jumped on the Zichec daughter first. They slapped her and formed a circle around her. She fell on the floor from the blow. They raised her dress, turned her face downward and her behind upward and began slapping her on her behind with their hands. Then they turned her around again, parted her legs, covered her eyes and her mouth so she wouldn’t scream; one climbs on top of her and the others kneel down around her and wait for their turn. They all did what they did in front of all the people in the attic. A few jumped on top of me and my husband. He wanted to escape and I’m behind him. They attacked him: Give money! Miti Karsilechic wanted to taunt me, and asked me for money. I asked for pity: Don’t touch me, Miti, you have known me and have been acquainted with me for many years. I don’t have money. Several of them ripped my dress from behind, and one slapped my cheek and said: If you don’t have money, we’ll enjoy you in another way. I fell to the floor and Miti is on top of me doing me. And the rest of the gang around me, waiting. My husband and the rest of the Jews in the attic saw Miti on me. My husband gave them the silver watch and a necklace. They thought the necklace to be gold and until they finished examining it, my husband jumped to the ground [level]. There they beat him. The rest of the Jews also jumped. Only I and Simi Zichec remained. They mocked and taunted me: “It seems you never in your life slept with a goy—now you will know the taste of a goy” I don’t know how many were with me, certainly no less than five and possibly seven. When they finished doing—they went down one by one. One goy came up—Bubichec—and said: Hide in the corner because soon other thugs will come up. In a moment I’ll come with my wife and bring you down. I sat in the corner in my underclothes, and at that moment Simi Zichec came and sat with me. We are both sitting silent and mute. Immediately one came up and began calling his friends. He saw that there is no one and left. Later approximately four more came up. One kneeled above me as if he was feeling sorry for me. He saw the earrings and ripped them off my ears and wanted to torment me again. At that moment the honest goy Bubichec came up and in [End Page 199] front of his eyes Simi and I were had, each by two. The goy tried to cunningly stop them and said: “But you are Christians and daughters of Israel are forbidden to you.” But they wanted to beat him as well and he was afraid and attempted to only save lives: “Do what you want with them, just don’t kill them.” The four finished and the goy helped me cover myself with a shawl and Simi held my hand and that’s how we descended the attic, and the swine behind us. Accompanied by the goy, Sima and I went to my mother’s house in the Vagazal—Tabakari—(Sima also has an aunt there) and found that there everything was destroyed as well. I returned to ask for my husband. I did not know where he is, dead or alive? Crushed and shattered, a receptacle of shame and filth, I returned to the courtyard in my home, perhaps I will find him—and saw a woman running away from there and ran after her. “Where is my Bube” asked the woman (Bube also lay in the attic). I consoled her that no one was killed. We came to the yard of the ritual bath—the woman had some relatives there and had previously lived there—where I fell, fainting. My husband and...