Ashes to Ashes

Journal of Curt Abramovitz

July 4th 1942

Dear Journal,

Today I was shipped off to Ravensbruck via train, leaving behind my friends in Strasburg. The Government official, Mr, told me and some others in our town to get on the train to be safe. It was strange how they only seemed to take Jews. Up until now, the town was peaceful despite the war going on in the world.  The train ride here was absolutely deplorable.  There were human faeces and the sick and diseased, and even some dead bodies by the end of it. It was all very terrifying, but I was trying to keep a brave face for my little girl Ariel. When we arrived they told me she had to go with the other children and the old and I let her go, my poor, poor girl.  That was the last I saw of her. I hope she’s in a better place.

(http://www.theholocaustexplained.org/ks3/the-camps/types-of-camps/#.VvEuQeJ97IV )

July 14^th 1942

Dear Journal,

This place is horrible.  The evil Nazis gave me a badge to identify me as a Jew yesterday and ever since they have been treating me worse and worse, though I suppose I have it better than my Aunt Ranita who was sent to Auschwitz the year previous. I was told she died slowly. They have put me in tailoring, apparently for the Nazi garments. Why, I wonder, should I be helping these disgusting pigs, I will never know.

(http://history1900s.about.com/od/holocaust/a/yellowstar.htm )

(https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005189 )

July 15^th 1942

Dear Journal,

One of the prison wardens walked past while my friend Lorenzo was jeering about Adolph Hitler. They shot him dead in a matter of seconds and sent me off to ‘the dig’ as a punishment for being there. I’ve been told by many people that if you are sent to the dig, you’re sentenced to death. Sadly, dearest journal, I must go to bed.  As I am in a small bed with five people: Derrick, Bogumil, Alexei, Abraham and myself, I am not able to stay awake with the candle lit writing if I don’t want to be punched in the face.

(http://www.projetaladin.org/holocaust/en/history-of-the-holocaust-shoah/the-killing-machine/concentration-camps.html )

July 16^th 1942

Dear Journal,

Digging is a nightmare. First they had me dig a massive hole, then I had to carry dead bodies and drop them in it. This camp has taught me to be numb about everything, including my feelings. So I couldn’t say anything or be sad even when I pushed a cart full of dead babies to their resting places. After we put the deceased: no I mustn’t call them that, I must be numb. After we put the bodies into the holes, we had to bury them mixed with the ashes of the cremated Jews. This must’ve been what happened to Ariel, oh my sweet daughter, please forgive me for my sins, as I know God will never.

July 20th 1942

Dear Journal, 

Today my supervisor, a 'veteran' prisoner called Aleksy told us something very interesting. He said he wanted us to know what the Nazis really think as they are his friends. He works with the Nazi dogs as he is trusted, the damned traitor. Anyway, he heard them talking about why they're doing this, why they're treating us like this. They said that they were only here because they were under threat of punishment from their Generals and they needed the money for their families. Aleksy must have said this so I would understand that they are not all bad people, but I only feel pure rage. I hope these Nazi demons die slowly and I hope their wives starve and their children bleed, as my dear Ariel bled. 

July 30^th 1942

Dear Journal,

Today I had to take some bodies up to the crematorium to be burned to ashes. I found out that the Sonderkommando died regularly and I have counted myself lucky I am not one of them. Nobody has said as such, but it seems that the Nazis are trying to kill all of us Jews. Oh my dear journal, my only friend left in this retched world, I did a most terrible thing this afternoon. I ran away from my post. I was meant to watch over while the Sonderkommando’s went to lunch so I did. But then I heard the screams, the terrified and agonized yells of some of the people in there. I had heard rumours that they locked some workers in there alive if they didn’t do their job properly. Oh God, please believe me, I tried to get them out but I couldn’t; the door was locked. Oh Lord, I’m so sorry that I ran, but I couldn’t bare to listen to the screams. I’m afraid they’ll haunt me for the rest of my life if I get out of this one alive (oh who am I kidding, we will all die anyway, there is no hope left for us).

(http://www.projetaladin.org/holocaust/en/history-of-the-holocaust-shoah/the-killing-machine/concentration-camps.html )

August 15^th 1942

There is no God. There I said it. How could there be, in a world as atrocious as ours? I fear that the only God is Death, so maybe I shall pray to him instead. Those damned Nazis threw me into that terrifying crematorium and I thought I was done for, but at least I would re-join Ariel, so I went with open arms, embracing a merciful end to this torture. But, woe to me, I had to live on. They made it my mission to clean out the ashes of my deceased brethren. I would be sorry for their souls, but I do not care. I am not human, I am numb.  This is what I have learned from this camp and I cannot stand it. I fear my time is coming to a close.

August 20^th 1942

My dear, dear friend, my precious journal, I am afraid that I must say goodbye. You have helped me through these tough times and I thank you, but I must move on. After losing Ariel and all my few friends, I cannot bare to live any longer. I shall embrace my Lord Death with open arms and be glad. And for the last time, goodbye journal, now I’m off to the crematorium, where I hope I shall see my sweet Ariel once again, oh I hope… 

Research

Research

Artifact One

There were a range of camps during World War Two, the largest of which being Auschwitz. Between 1940 and 1945 there was a population of, 1,095,000 Jews, 147,000 Poles, 23,000 Roma, 15,000 soviet prisoners of war and 25,000 people from various nation. This leads to a total population of 1,305,000 and the total death being 1,082,000.

Artifact Two:

There weren’t generally specific punishments in labour camps, more the people were treated so badly they died or killed. Some ways people dies includes diseases, starvation, exhaustion and brutal treatment from the Nazis. The most common way of organised killing in extermination camps was the gas chamber. Other methods of killing include gas trucks and mass shootings. In concentration camps where men and women were separated, the men were gassed first, the woman had their hair shaved then they were gassed. Certain people were killed straight away, for example people who couldn’t work like the old and the young and certain women.

Artifact Three:

Artifact Four:

The yellow badge (which is the Star of David and has the word Jew on in) was worn by Jews during World War Two, but it has a very long and diverse history. The first variation of the badge was made in 807 C.E. the idea was put forward by Abbasid caliph Haroun al-Raschid ordered all Jews to wear a yellow belt and a tall, cone-like hat. Other variations include two tables of the Ten Commandments made of white linen or parchment ordered by King Henry III of England in 1217 and a badge of round pieces of yellow felt or linen, a palm long and four fingers wide ordered by Louis IX in 1269. During the 1200’s, in Germany and Austria, Jews had to wear a horned hat and then in the fifteenth century, it became a badge. It wasn’t until 1939 that the chief officer of the Government General in Poland put forth that all Jews ten years and over had to wear a white badge with the Star of David on their right arm. In 1941, the badge was finally changed to the yellow Star of David with the word Jude (meaning Jew) on it, which was worn on the left side of their chest.

There were a few other badges worn in camps to identify different types of people. For example political prisoners wore red triangles; common criminals wore green triangles; Roma (Gypsies) wore black triangles; Jehovah’s Witnesses wore purple and homosexuals wore pink triangles. There were also letters on some of the badges to indicate the nationality of the prisoner.

Artifact Five:

Generally, most strong prisoners were chosen to dig graves to bury fellow prisoners who had died or been killed. It was also their job to carry the deceased to the grave (usually a large group of bodies in a massive hole where they either buried the bodies or waited and moved them to the crematoriums. The people who worked at the crematoriums were called the Sonderkommando (Special Work Unit) which was made up of strong Jews. The average life expectancy of one of the workers was around four months in the camp.  To put it simply, there were two basic types of camps: camps that were made just for the murder of Jews and camps where people were put to forced labour (they usually were starved, tortures and murdered). The first type of camp was primarily in Poland, these camps include Belzec, Maidanek, Sobibor, Auschwitz, Chelmo and Teblinka. The second type of camp were setup all over Europe, for example Germany, Poland, Yugoslavia, Austria, Estonia and France. Some camps include: Ravenbruck, Gross Rosen, Natzweller, Dachau, Klooga and Plaszow.

Bibliography

Auschwitz n.d., United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, accessed 3 March 2016, https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005189

History of the Yellow Star 2015, About Education, accessed 3 March 2016, http://history1900s.about.com/od/holocaust/a/yellowstar.htm

Holocaust - Concentration Camps n.d., Project Aladin, accessed 7 March 2016, http://www.projetaladin.org/holocaust/en/history-of-the-holocaust-shoah/the-killing-machine/concentration-camps.html

The Holocaust Explained 2011, London Jewish Cultural Centre, accessed 7 March 2016, http://www.theholocaustexplained.org/ks3/the-camps/types-of-camps/#.Vt1CC_l97IU