What was going on when I was born?

JOLLY ZELENY was being transported by train from Hamburg, Germany, to the concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen when the railroad tracks were bombed. She was in a car containing only female prisoners; on another track she could see a train carrying men. Four decades later, she remembered the contrast vividly. ''Both men and women were skeletons, in identical stripes, yet there was such a difference,'' she said. ''The men's bodies reflected so much more pessimism than did ours. We reached for our little morsels of bread and threw them to the men.'' Survivor of Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen and three smaller Nazi concentration camps in World War II, Jolly Zeleny was in the crowd of 400 that packed Stern College for Women of Yeshiva University, on Lexington Avenue, for a two-day conference this week entitled ''Women Surviving: The Holocaust.'' It was sponsored by the Institute for Research in History with a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities.

An article and headline in some copies of yesterday's Sports Pages incorrectly identified the coach of the girls' basketball team at Marlboro (N.Y.) High School. He is Jim Van Allen.

The Venezuelan economy, once the most robust in South America, has entered its second month of paralysis, waiting for the Government to formulate a strategy to offset falling oil profits and renegotiate its foreign debt. The halt in activity has been caused by the suspension on Feb. 20 of foreign exchange rates and the failure to come up with a definitive substitute. Instead of moving toward a national consensus that almost every sector of Venezuelan society has been calling for in broadcast appeals and newspaper advertisements, the Government has shunned consultation, and the two key members of its economic team have fallen into an open quarrel. Import restrictions are being issued periodically, and their application has appeared erratic. Some, for instance, have been directed at life-supporting medical equipment while an announced ban on whisky is apparently being reconsidered.

The Senate, heeding vigorous lobbying by the Reagan Administration, voted today not to consider an amendment concerning the withholding of taxes on interest and dividends, clearing the way for passage of a plan to provide financial stability to the Social Security system. The 54-to-43 vote on the proposed amendment came after President Reagan, using unusually strong language, criticized the banking industry as ''a selfish special interest'' that, he said, had tried to make Social Security ''a legislative hostage.'' The effort to attach the withholding question to the Social Security bill was the second time in a week that opponents of the provision, due to take effect on July 1, had defied Mr. Reagan and Senate leaders and had held up approval of major legislation. The issue, which also had put off consideration of a $4.6 billion emergency job bill for six days, will come up in the Senate again next month.

CAPT. WILLIAM WATKINS, on leave from the Army to train for the 1984 Olympics as a cyclist, takes vitamin E because he thinks it ''helps my recuperative powers,'' calcium and potassium supplements ''because I perspire a lot,'' and vitamin C for colds and a multivitamin supplement because, he says, ''I'm a superstitious athlete.'' At the same time he eats a carefully controlled diet with very little fat, small amounts of fish and chicken for protein and a lot of complex carbohydrates such as fruits and vegetables, breads and pasta. David Faulkner of East Brunswick, N.J., like Captain Watkins, is living at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. A judo player, he tries ''to eat as many meats as possible,'' he says, though he stays away from fried foods because he has heard they are not good for endurance and are hard to digest. He also takes vitamin C, although he isn't sure why, and desiccated liver tablets because he has been told they aid endurance.

International An interim arms control proposal by President Reagan is likely, according to Administration officials and diplomats. They said that Mr. Reagan had made a preliminary decision to propose to Moscow an agreement limiting but not eliminating medium-range nuclear missiles in Europe. Under the interim plan, they said, each side would be limited to 100 missile launchers with a total of 300 warheads. (Page A1, Column 6.) The MX missile would be based in improved Minuteman missile silos under an interim plan that a Presidential panel is leaning toward, according to Congressional leaders of both parties. They said this would amount to the first phase of a new land-based program to be followed by deployment of a mobile missile. (A1:5-6.)

The Economy Orders for durable goods dropped 4 percent last month, ending a three-month string of rises, the Commerce Department said. The report was seen as another sign that the recovery might not be as strong in the first half of 1983 as had been hoped. (Page D1.) The Senate cleared the way for passage of Social Security legislation, turning aside efforts to attach an amendment to postpone tax withholding on interest and dividends. (A1.) House Democrats won a test vote on their budget proposal for fiscal 1984. (A17.) President Reagan is waging an all-out attack on the Democratic budget. (A16.)

What a difference a year has made in the traditional businesses of Borg-Warner. Last year the company increased the tempo of diversification, acquiring service companies and divesting itself of manufacturing concerns, in an effort to reduce its dependence on autos and other mature, cyclical industries. But increasing orders from the auto makers and the home builders have improved the outlook for the products that Borg has been known for since its founding in 1928. And like much of American industry the company is expecting a rebound in profits for those businesses, coming not only from increased production but also from extensive cost-cutting measures.

Talks broke off last night in the 16-day-old strike against the Metro-North Commuter Railroad. The mediator in the dispute said, ''It could be a long strike.'' ''It is certainly going to continue for a few more days at the very least,'' the mediator, Arvid Anderson, said after three hours of neogtiations ended after 5 P.M. ''The positions of both sides are very fixed.''

"What soldiers?" a tactful town in Salvador says A2 Nicaragua says 2,000 rebels entered country from Honduras A3 Nicaragua seizes Coca-Cola plant, calling manager a rebel A4 Poland's Interior Minister says protests are planned for May A5 French Cabinet resigns and new Government named A6 Around the World A7 Crash of Iraqi helicopter embarrasses Italian Government A8 Bulgarian agents described as ready to do Moscow's bidding A12 Government/Politics House Democrats win a key initial vote related to their budget A17 Smaller, mobile missiles discussed by Reagan commission A23 Koch swears in eight judges and defends record on minorities B3 D'Amato recommends Keenan for Federal judgeship B3 Cuomo said to abandon efforts to revise school-aid formula B4 Prosecutors given evidence in Co-op City bribery inquiry B24 High Court rules generic drugs must be approved by F.D.A. D23 Washington Talk Briefing A20 White House: Reagan criticized on lack of churchgoing A20 A Saudi Prince whose "mission" is Unicef A20 General Around the Nation A14 New Orleans debates future of Treme, where jazz took root A14 Chiefs of Onondaga Nation grant Banks sanctuary A19 Education/Welfare St. John's faculty protests actions against Asian studies program B3 Schools Chancellor must know politics as well as education B4 The Living Section Food Salad ideas you can warm up to C1 Passover tradition in the American South C3 The 60-Minute Gourmet C3 Food Notes C7 Wine Talk C13 Living Role of nutrition in athletics C1 Women in the Holocaust: Study in survival C1 Metropolitan Diary C2 Personal Health: Head injuries C11 Melding tradition and sportswear C16 Arts/Entertainment A librarian played a role in the making of "The Outsiders" C19 "Teahouse," stage portrait of China, presented C19 May O'Donnell Concert Dance Company at the Joyce C20 Virgil Thomson's opera, "The Mother of Us All" C21 A critic's roundup of new recordings in Pop Life C22 Carl Reiner's "Something Different" is revived C22 "Distant Water: The Fate of the North Atlantic Fisherman" C24 Richard Price's fourth novel is about crossroads, author says C25 TV: Channel 13 presents "Tannhauser" by the Met C27 Health/Science Condition of artificial heart recipient worries doctors A15 Obituaries Raymond P. Sloan, authority on hospital management B6 Ivan M. Vinogradov, leader of Soviet mathematics B6 C. Thomas Schettino, ex-justice of Jersey Supreme Court B6 Sports Pages King and Knicks' defense halt 76ers, 89-76 B9 Islanders' bid for first place ended by 3-1 loss to Bruins B9 After 21 years, Paret ring tragedy is still a shared burden B9 Yankees give Smalley shortstop job B9 Seaver goes seven innings as Mets beat Red Sox, 8-0 B10 George Vecsey on the education of Andrea Jaeger B11 N.F.L. cites conflict in bid by De Bartolo for U.S.F.L. franchise B12 Features/Notes Man in the News: Chaim Herzog, new President of Israel A11 About New York B3 New York Day by Day B4 News Analysis Steven R. Weisman on Presi- dent's tactics on budget A16 Editorials/Letters/Op-Ed Editorials A26 Defense wish-lists and hit lists Mr. Reagan's new (old)leaf Human kindness Better than a budget in Albany Letters A26 Russell Baker: War and sweets A27 James Reston: What's going on? A27 Piero Gleijeses: Share Salvador power A27 David S. Tatel: Depriving de- prived children A27

The authorities in Western Europe have information that supports testimony given to them by a Turkish assassin, Mehmet Ali Agca, that when he tried to kill Pope John Paul II on May 13, 1981, he was acting at the behest of Bulgarian intelligence agents. The evidence, though not conclusive, includes information from a Bulgarian official who defected in France in July 1981. The official, Iordan Mantarov, 48 years old, told French intelligence agents that the plot to kill the Pope was devised by the K.G.B., the Soviet intelligence agency, and by the Bulgarian secret service, which many Western intelligence specialists consider subservient to Moscow. The plan was drawn up, Mr. Mantarov said, because the two agencies believed that the Pope was the keystone of a United States effort to subvert the Polish Government and move it away from the Communist bloc. The Bulgarian Government has called the implication that Bulgarians were involved in the assassination attempt on the Pope entirely without foundation and a fabrication put together by Western intelligence agencies. The Soviet Union has repeatedly denied any role in the attack.

Secretary of State George P. Shultz, seeking to defuse opposition to increased military aid for El Salvador, told a Senate subcommittee today that Salvadoran leaders had been warned to ''clean up'' their human rights record or lose all American support. Testifying on behalf of the Administration's request to transfer $60 million more for emergency military aid to El Salvador, Mr. Shultz avoided confrontations with critics on the committee. He did so by agreeing with most of their complaints about human rights abuses in El Salvador, particularly the delay in bringing to trial five former National Guardsmen accused of killing four American churchwomen in December 1980. 'Support Is Going to Dry Up' ''You cannot get me to sit here and defend what has happened under the judicial system of El Salvador,'' Mr. Shultz told Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennslvania. ''I won't do it. I don't do it. I don't think it is defensible. If they don't clean up this act, the support is going to dry up, and they've been told that and they know that and that will happen.''