Tag #109711 - Interview #78228 (Leon Glazer)

Sixteen I was when I completed that 8th grade. I was born in the crisis, there was poverty, and so I went out to work, to earn something as far as possible. My friend, Bribram Henryk, also was in that class with me, so I asked him, 'Get me work at your father's place, would you?' I was moderately interested in the clothing trade then. I used to help Father with the unstitching, not just unstitching but sewing lapels back on too. I helped him as far as I could, I did what I could do. And from then on I remembered something. Once, I remember, I put my finger in the machine underneath, and the needle got stuck in it. After that I had this little operation. I could use my finger normally as soon as they took the needle out. And what I learned then came in handy later. That sewing perhaps even saved my life, in a small way.

Bribram's father took me on in his little fittings factory as a commercial intern. Surprisingly, for 20 zloty a month. In those days that was enough for me to buy material for a suit of clothes for 40 zloty. I even had my own insurance. When I needed my papers for my pension later, I got them in Bielsko. I worked physically a bit, and after that in the office. I could type a little, even in German, because I'd been on a typing course for a few months. After that I started to organize my own office, my own files, I put all that in order myself. And so much so that they praised me.