Patrick

Patrick Jahn

**__ Ibi Grossman __**

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My name is Ibi Grossman. I was born in Pecs, the capital city of the province of Baranya, in Hungary. My parents owned a small tinsmith shop where they sold cans, buckets, cake pans and other household items from tin. I also had four sisters and the two oldest were half-sisters from my father’s first marriage. At the age of fifteen I joined a Zionist group and that is where I met my future husband, Zolti. At the age of seventeen I moved to Budapest where I worked hard and Zolti and I were married. When I became pregnant I was frightened for both my life and the child’s life. Hungary was the last country to be occupied by the Nazis and in 1944 they invaded the country. Violent actions and bad events against the Jewish population occurred every day after they had invaded. Soon every Jewish person was required to wear a yellow star on his or her garment. Ghettos were soon created in the center of the center to hold the Jewish population of Budapest. On October 15, 1944 the Hungarian ruling Regent spoke on the radio and said that Hungary will cease to fight and this was great news for the Jews. However, the Nazi party soon took over and declared that they will continue to annihilate all the Hungarian Jews who were not yet deported. Quickly after this was declared, a Nazi official came to our houses and demanded us to march. They did not provide us with food or shelter and we were constantly beat. Then my husband was taken away and I was left all alone with the child. I soon found a Red Cross to take in refugees but I was betrayed and then taken by the Nazi’s. I was selected to go to Auschwitz but I luckily was able to escape when I was at the train station. I managed to join my mother-in-law with my son, Andy. The Ghetto conditions were becoming brutal. We heard rumors that the Nazi’s planned to kill us all and we lived in constant fear. Then one morning, I looked outside and saw a Russian soldier. At that instant I realized that we were liberated. Unfortunately, I found out that husband had been shot and I only continued to live for my son. =====

This is Kevin O' Rourke. He lost his job over a year ago and spent a year looking for a new one. This is his story of surviving unemployment. Survivor Questions: 1. What was your first response to the news? 2. Were you scared to tell your family? 3. Did anyone else in your family have a job? 4. What was the response of your family members? 5. What did you do in your free time? 6. How did this change your lifestyle? 7. What things did you appreciate more? 8. How did you feel toward your old company? 9. Did you immediately start to look for a new job? 10. How did others try to help you? 11. Would you have done anything different looking back on the experience? Why do you feel that way? 12. How did this experience change you? 13. How did you feel once you got the new job? 14. How soon did you want a new job? 15. If you could go back to your old job would you? Why?

Survivor notes

1. Freedom! This was the first thought that came to mind. It was a spring morning when my boss informed me that my job was eliminated. I packed a few things from my office, said goodbye to some friends and drove to the YMCA to workout. After cleaning-up, I went to the barber. Feeling good from the inside-out, I called my wife to break the news.

2. I was not scared to tell my wife, because I felt extremely confident in my ability to find another job. But I knew she would be nervous about how we would pay all our bills. It is the uncertainty of the future that would make her nervous.

I saw this as a great opportunity to improve my career, to move into a new leadership position. Equally important was my view that this time-off was a true gift. A gift of time. Time to spend with my family, and do some fun things. With my children's school year coming to a close, I saw the summer months as a time for a great family trip! I was really exited about the rare opportunity in front of us. The key was to convince my family about the silver-lining to this normally devastating news.

3. No, I am the sole bread winner in the household, by choice. When Stephanie and I started to have children, she decided to focus on raising the kids and making a great home.

4. My wife's reaction was predictable; shock, nervousness, concerned about the next steps. Then as we talked more about it, and she realized how positive and up-beat I was about this, she grew more calm. The kids did not fully grasp the magnitude of the event, positively or negatively. They knew it was a big deal. When they heard that we were planning a summer road trip out west, any concerns vanished.

5. on my free time I went on a 7 week road trip with my family, saw lot's of national parks, and some good friends. After the trip, I focused on the job search, every day. 6. It change my lifestyle by ensuring my household lived to a strict budget. We only spent what we had to. All other extra expenses we curtailed. 7. I appreciated more my family, and the time I had to spend with them. I also appreciated the good friends I worked with at my previous job. 8. I wished my old co-workers well, but I thought the company was making a mistake. I wished them well, and then I looked forward to my new job. 9. I first built a good resume, and then I started looking for a new job. 10. Lot's of people helped me in different ways. Some merely gave me emotional support, and some helped with the job search by recommending someone to contact. Most job openings are not advertised, so it is very important to meet people and establish contacts. 11. I don't think I would do much differently. I really enjoyed the combination of special time with my family, and time to find a new career opportunity. Instead of being unemployed for 12 months, I would have liked to find a new job after 6 months. 12. It reinforced the idea that life is short, so you have to live the every day to the fullest. 13. I felt elated, relieved, and very appreciative for the opportunity to prove myself again. It was a great day! 14. It took me 12 months to find the right next step for me, at a company that I wanted to join. 15. I think I would do it again, only I would have liked to have left my old company on my own terms. I would liked to have removed the uncertainty, secured a new job, but also taken several months off to recharge my batteries. But, the whole experience made my family stronger, and I am proud of them.media type="file" key="myspeechpatrick.mp3"