Search
Main page
On DEGOB
The Survivor Witnesses
Glossary
Encylopedia of Camps
Supporters

The person in question has given us the following information: If I had to and were able to present all the misery I experienced I could talk for weeks but I do not do it gladly as remembering is horrible. Already in the ghetto of Aknaszlatina Hungarians treated us in a horrible way. They terribly tortured us, grabbed all our valuables but that was not all. They said we kept treasures even under our skin, and they treated us accordingly. They searched us undressed, unfortunately not only us but also our wives and daughters. Even high-ranking officers watched this performance. When we learnt they were going to take us away we were glad to go. Anywhere, just away from there. Leaving behind Aknaszlatina we travelled 90 of us in a freight car and arrived in Birkenau three days later. On the way many of us died in the freight car because we got no water. In Auschwitz we had to get off the train and leave our entire luggage behind. Women were led to the right, three of us brothers and my father to the left. Having walked a little, unfortunately, also our father was separated from us. The day after, we were moved to the camp in Auschwitz, where we stayed for three days. We got tattoos here and went on to Buna, 8 kilometres from Auschwitz. We had to lay cables in the ground. We had to carry heavy cables in a distance of 4 kilometres; my back aches even today if I think of it. Nevertheless, our camp was clean and we also got food. They harmed only those who could not work, but they would beat these people ruthlessly. When the front got closer they transferred us into Buchenwald. We travelled 130 of us in a little open freight car in the freezing cold of January. We received 500 grams of bread for the journey. Many perished during this journey. 12,000 people departed but I doubt there were as many as 6,000 of us when we arrived. When we got off the train the SS immediately approached and shot the people who could not walk but sat down. Naturally, we had to watch it without saying a word; otherwise they would have shot us as well, since they had the weapon. In Buchenwald we got into quarantine. We did not work here at all as this was a selecting place. In the cold of January, in the freezing cold of the mornings we were being lined up for 2-6 hours during roll calls. We had to suffer unbearably. Many died during the roll calls. They just threw these people out of line. Crematorium was working day and night but could not cope with the great number of dead bodies. Later, I was singled out from block 51 and got into the “youthful” block, no. 66. We did not work either here but at least we did not need to leave the block but lined up for roll calls inside. It was somewhat better here. Our leader was a Czech who treated us so nicely that it is difficult to find the words to describe it. He treated us like a father his children. Although he was also a prisoner, with limited opportunities, he still managed to obtain even food for us. The English were already quite close when we were also taken away after 8 weeks of stay. There were 60,000 people in Buchenwald of very diverse nationalities, out of whom 10,000 of us were Jews. I cannot give dates, since we were not humans here, but lived like the most miserable beasts. In April, when, as I have said, English troops got closer, we left Buchenwald. They hurriedly entrained us in Weimar, putting 100 people in a car. Travelling for 14 days back and forth, (since there was no place where they accepted us), we arrived in Theresienstadt, where Russians liberated us. My future plans? I do not know. First, I would like to find out whether there are surviving members of my family, and will make plans only afterwards.

Labour Service