Identity Hiding
Just about everyone has heard of Anne Frank. But have you heard of Jankele Kuperblum, Piotr Kuncewicz, Jan Kochanski, Franek Zielinski, or Jack Kuper? Probably not. Actually, they were all the same person. Instead of hiding physically, some children lived within society but took on a different name and identity in an attempt to hide their Jewish ancestry. The example above actually represents only one child who "became" these separate identities as he transversed the countryside pretending to be Gentile. The children who hid their identity had a variety of experiences and lived among various situations. The Nazis were looking for Jews to deport and these children attempted to hide the fact that they were Jewish - a very large responsibility for those so young.
- Varied Experiences:
There was no rhyme or reason as to why these children were placed in situations in which they hid their identity. Some children stayed with their parents or just their mother and lived among Gentiles with their host not knowing their true identity. Some children were left alone in convents or among families. Some children wandered from village to village as a farmhand. But no matter what the circumstances, all these children shared the need to hide their Jewishness.
- Children That Could Hide Their Identity:
The people that hid these children wanted children that would be the least risk to them. Thus, young children, especially young girls, were the most easily placed.
Youth was favored because the child's past life was short, thus did not greatly guide their identity. Young children were not likely to "slip up" or leak information about their Jewishness. Also, these children more easily adapted to their new "homes."
Girls were more easily placed, not because of a better temperament, but because they lacked the tell-tale sign that boys carried - a circumcised penis. No amount of words or documents could cover or excuse this if it were discovered. Because of this risk, some young boys that were forced to hide their identity were dressed up as girls. Not only did they lose their name and background, they also lost their gender.
My fictional name was Marysia Ulecki. I was supposed to be a distant cousin of the people who were keeping my mother and me. The physical part was easy. After a couple of years in hiding with no haircuts, my hair was very long. The big problem was language. In Polish when a boy says a certain word, it's one way, but when a girl says the same word, you change one or two letters. My mother spent a lot of time teaching me to speak and walk and act like a girl. It was a lot to learn, but the task was simplified slightly by the fact that I was supposed to be a little bit 'backward.' They didn't risk taking me to school, but they took me to church. I remember some kid tried to flirt with me, but the lady we were living with told him not to bother with me because I was retarded. After that the kids left me alone except to make fun of me. In order to go to the bathroom like a girl, I had to practice. It wasn't easy! Quite often I used to come back with wet shoes. But since I was supposed to be a little backward, wetting my shoes made my act all the more convincing.6
---Richard Rozen - Continually Tested: To hide amongst Gentiles by pretending to be Gentile took courage, strength, and determination. Every day these children came upon situations in which their identity was tested. If their real name was Anne, they had better not turn their head if that name were called. Also, what if someone were to recognize them or question their supposed familial relationship with their host? There were many Jewish adults and children who could never attempt to hide their identity within society because their outward appearance or their voice sounded stereotypically Jewish. Others whose outward appearance did not bring them into question, had to be careful of their language and of their movements.
