To Life: A Young Holocaust Survivor's Journey to Freedom
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EnglishVoice Age
Young Adult (18-35)Accents
North American (General)Transcript
Note: Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and may contain errors.
my turn. Sometimes I would imagine myself kicking the German Gestapo. When it was my turn to go. I thought myself stronger than most and certainly able to defend myself. But when a Nazi soldier holds a gun to your head, you weaken. I certainly did. Then the inevitable happened. It was my turn. I was part of a large Jewish clean up. The Nazis took both the young and the not so young men, women and Children were ordered to march despite the pouring rain. We did, as they said, at a distance, I could hear the chanting of other kids. Those that chanted were referred to as Hitler's kids. Kill the Jews, killed the Jews. Jews are no good. Even when they weren't calling out to us, I could hear their voices bellowing in my ears. Everything about that evening will never leave my mind. The Gestapo treated us horribly. We weren't allowed to sit or lie down. We had to stand the entire night several times at night. I wanted to scream out at the top of my lungs. Please, dear God, don't do this to us. But I didn't. When morning came in, the rain stopped I looked around at all the men, women and Children who had made it through the night. I couldn't help but wonder if they were as afraid as I was. We never spoke to each other, but at that moment I knew I might never know their names but would never forget their faces. Several daylight hours had passed before the Gestapo started to do what was referred to as a round up arranging groups, depending on age and capabilities to be transported to Auschwitz and Treblinka, the known death camps. The commotion caused unrest among all of us. Tears were shed and screams were heard. Then, all of a sudden, the Gestapo started to randomly shoot at us, especially the young babies. I was sick to my stomach as I watched the Gestapo laugh as they tossed babies into the air and shot them. A young woman with a small baby nestled in her arms was standing next to me, trying to comfort her baby. As he cried, I closed my eyes in prayer, hoping the little baby would stop crying. Then, from behind, a German soldier approached the young woman, the soldier called out to the woman. Keep that down, Baby Quiet, the woman responded with a nod. Then she stroked her son's head as she whispered to him, Please don't cry. But still, the baby cried. I took a deep breath as I watched the soldier reach for the baby and grab him away from his mother. The guard looked at the woman and anger. Didn't I tell you to shut that down, baby up, didn't I? The woman cried as she held out her hands, trying to get her son back. The Gestapo pulled back. Get away, you stupid Jew. It all happened so fast. The soldier tossed the baby up in the air and nodded to another Gestapo soldier, who then shot the baby in mid air. Seconds later, after giving one of the most blood curdling cries I had ever heard, the baby fell to the ground. Dad, I tearfully watched as the baby's mother fell to her knees, lying over her son's torn apart body. Another soldier stood before the woman and kicked her in the belly. You see, Ju now is quiet. As if that wasn't enough, the Gestapo soldier who had shot the baby pointed his gun to the woman's head and fired. I don't know if I will ever be able to stop seeing the woman's blood splatter all over her son's. What upset me most was a carefree way in which the Gestapo soldiers killed people. How they ever went home at night and kiss their own Children will always remain a mystery to me. Once again, the Gestapo began to count. Ah, woman was slightly graying, hair east toward me and whispered in my ear, Reach back toward my hand and take my bra, Hurry and put it on. You will look older, even though I didn't quite understand why I did. Exactly as she said. Luckily, I had just enough time toe wiggle the broad from my ankles to my waist, which allowed me to be chosen during the re selection to go to the right. There were only two ways to go valid to the right, invalid to the left, useful to the right, useless to the left. I never got to thank the woman in line, but she saved my life because of her kindness and concern. I was treated as an adult which prolong my life, even though one might think death might outweigh life. When faced with such horrible choices, it doesn't. I chose life, and if I had to do it all over again, my choice would always be the same. There is no gift greater than life.