Carl, A somber bit for reflection, for sure. It seems beyond belief that it has been 70 years already passed. I did want to ask, though, with your resources, just how many victims perished in Auschwitz, do you have a number? I have been absolutely unable to find a reliable solid figure anywhere-it seems that they are all different, and radically so. Even the plaque on the site of the camp gives a different listing.
William
"Much that once was, is lost. For none now live who remember it."
Hello William,by Wagriff
Initially, the Soviets estimated that four million had perished. Former Kommandant Rudolf Höss stated that Eichmann told him around three million had been killed - a figure Höss believed too high. Franciszek Piper instigated an expansive study which revealed that a minimum of 1.1 million (and possible 1.5 million) died - a figure accepted as the official statistic by the museum itself. Due to the fact that many were not even registered and the SS destroyed much of the evidence, the true figure will never be known. Following the visit of Heinrich Himmler in 1942, orders were carried out that led to the opening of the mass graves and destruction of the remains in a manner that would not leave any possible way for numbers to be calculated.
I wanted to share a story..that was forwarded to me with express permission from a very close friend Aimee....whose Aunt lived to tell of her ordeal while being imprisoned in Auschwitz. The Aunt of my friend named Manya.
According to her account she was a cook for the SS officers in that camp..and her survival was due to the fact that she was an excellent cook.
Below is Aimees account of her Aunt Manya.
..............." Here are 2 pictures. The first is Manya (minnie) at her bunk at Auschwitz-Birkenau. She shared it with 7 other women. The picture was taken around 2000/2001, when she visited with her children and grandchildren.
The next picture is Manya and her husband in 1947. They met at Forenwald, a displaced persons camp in Germany, and lived there at the time this picture was taken. They were married and had their first child there.
Manya was one of ten children. She was the third youngest. Only the three youngest survived. Alan's dad, Avrom, was the youngest. He was born in 1927. The next youngest was Giza. They were all teenagers at the time of the second world war.
The 3 kids saw their family deported over time. They saw their parents loaded onto a cattle car. They saw their nieces and nephews rounded up with their older sisters and brothers. Their brother, Elicune (Eli) was a soccer player, and tried to flee west. He was the only family member whose fate was totally unknown.
Thru the Yad Vashem website, I was able to find out that he made it to Paris. He was deported East from Paris and died in the camps. I found that out after Manya died. Manya died in 2007. Avrom died in 1970. Giza died in 1980. Avrom and Giza both had serious heart problems, caused by the starvation and deprivation that they endured as children and young teens in the ghetto and then the camps.
I pulled out my notes from the conversations that I had with Manya 20 years ago. I had the story wrong. She was the one in Auschwitz-Birkenau. She was deported separately from Giza and Avrom.
Giza and Avrom were deported to Buntzlav, a concentration camp in Sudetenland. It was there that Giza was the cook for the SS officers at the camp, and was able to smuggle food to Avrom. She was caught doing that. She was a fantastic cook, so they shaved her head and beat her, but she was still the cook. Avrom was deported to Bergen-Belson. ( End quote )
I was quite stunned and felt the hair standing up on the back of my neck just listening to this eye witness account. For those including myself we read many of these eye witness accounts..and we can never fathom the whole horror as it is written by those we dont know personally. To hear it from a family member brings the horror closer and could never be equaled to just " Reading it" .
I am grateful to my friend who was able to share this story with me ..giving me greater insight and understanding into this dark period in time. Her Aunt "Manya" had been a blessing to her family and friends after the war up until her passing in 2007. Manyas contribution was to pass down to the next generation of witnesses ( her family, friends and those she came in contact with ) ... This period in time to be taught how fragile life can be and never to be taken for granted.
Regards Larry
Last edited by Larry C; 02-09-2015 at 05:06 AM.
It is not the size of a Collection in History that matters......Its the size of your Passion for it!!- Larry C
One never knows what tree roots push to the surface of what laid buried before the tree was planted - Larry C
“The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” - Winston Churchill
Clicking on the Thanks button just seems to shallow for this one! It was a great read into her families lives.
Thank You Larry for sharing that story and pictures of the Happy Life after being reunited .
Carl88 your input is always looked highly upon in my book. Thank You also.
Semper Fi
Phil
Today, 27th January 2016, marks the 71st anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. The date is also internationally commemorated as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The day serves as a reminder to all, take a moment to think of the millions of victims who perished during the genocide of the Nazi era.
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