Warsaw Under Siege in September 1939

[00:00-00:07]

Video begins with inter-title in white text on black screen while instrumental music plays and fades into the next frame: Irene Burstyn was living in Warsaw (Poland) when the German army invaded the country in September 1939.

[00:08-00:28]

Cut to Holocaust survivor Irene Burstyn, sitting in front of a black background, and looking to the left of the camera. The camera shows her face and shoulders as she speaks during an interview conducted in Montreal in 1996.

>> Irene Burstyn: A proclamation came out to wear…

[00:14-00:20]

The name “Irene Burstyn” and the location of the filmed interview, “Montreal”, appear in white text above Sarah's left shoulder.

>>  the star of David. The men were called out first, right at the beginning, the men were called out. Warsaw was bombarded. We were three weeks under siege.

[0029-00:43]

Cut to black-and-white photograph spanning upwards to view a demolished building and two women looking up at the ruins. The photo caption appears in white text on the left-hand side of the frame, “Destruction from bombing, Warsaw, 1939”.

>> And no other city – you see, the truth has to be said – no other city was under siege and holding off the Germans as long as Warsaw. I don't know why it happened…

[00:44-01:27]

Cut to Irene Burstyn in front of the camera.

>> …because we had no guns. There was nothing. I don't know who – who defended? I was building barricades. Look at me, am I a defender? Do I look like a defender, for goodness' sake? Who [was] there? Who were those people that were defending Warsaw? But three weeks, we held them off. And we were completely encircled. The water reservoirs were broken, there was no water, but there always was somebody poor enough to venture to the river, to Vistula, and bring a half a pale of water – because the other half of course he spilled – and to be paid something. And we were firebombed. I think it's called firebombed, you know, small incendiary bombs, which rained on us.

[01:28-01:44]

Cut to black-and-white photograph zooming out of a scene of rubble and demolished buildings. Three boys stand in the ruins and look towards the camera. Instrumental music plays in the background and the photo caption appears in white text on the right-hand side of the frame, “Destruction from bombing, Warsaw, 1939”.

[01:45-01:57]

Cut to Irene Burstyn in front of the camera.

>> I was with the sand division, you know. So, half a pail of sand smothers incendiary bombs.

[01:58-02:14]

Cut to black-and-white photograph zooming in towards a group of four people standing outdoors with a wheelbarrow, piling sandbags against the side of a building. Instrumental music plays in the background and the photo caption appears in white text on the left-hand side of the frame, “Piling sandbags to protect buildings, Warsaw, 1939”.

>> And whenever you hear – you know, at that time, you knew what sort of a bomb. The big ones, you don't need to worry because if it hits you, there's nothing to worry about! You know? But the small ones, you know these – [makes swoosh sounds]…

[02:14-2:31]

Cut to Irene Burstyn in front of the camera.

>> …like a swooshing sound or something. So you learn where it is and you run up with the half pail of water, of sand, and everybody was supposed to leave open doors, so that you can come in.

[02:32-02:41]

Music plays for the remainder of the video. Three credit pages appear in white text on black screen: Interview conducted by Alex Cherney and Elliot Kramer, Witness to History Program, Montreal, 1996, Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre

Images: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Julien Bryan

Directing: Helgi Piccinin; Editing and Colorization: Michaël Gravel, Helgi Piccinin; Audio Mix and Original Music: Pierre-Luc Lecours. [Logo for Chaire de recherche du Canada en patrimoine ethnologique]

Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre, copyright 2017.

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End of transcript.