Elisha stood in numb shock in the middle of the seething mass of people. Heavily armed soldiers screamed orders at the crowd in a language half of them did not understand. He saw women and children being manhandled, the elderly being hit with the butts of rifles and the weak and sick being shoved along with such force they fell down.
People tried to carry the luggage they had brought with them, but the guards simply pulled their bags and suitcases out of their hands and threw them on the ground, pushing the people towards the lines they wanted them to form. Elisha wasn't sure what to do or where to go. There was so much noise he couldn't hear what was being shouted at them over the loudhailers. All of the other people were just as confused and moved around looking for family members and loved ones while the guards tried to round them up into smaller, more manageable groups.
Elisha raised himself up on his tiptoes and tried to see where most people were going. He craned his neck and looked along the platform into the distance. Most of the people who had been travelling with him were being told to go to the left side of the platform and form a line. Elisha moved off to join them. Standing in the middle of the crowd, he suddenly had the creepy feeling that signalled he was being watched. He looked up and saw that everybody was being watched; the guards that weren’t manhandling the new arrivals were standing along the raised area of the platform and eyeing the crowd. Some of them walked with guard dogs clenched on short leashes and their machine guns were slowly scanning the people as they watched and patrolled unhurriedly up and down. Elisha glanced uneasily from soldier to soldier, until his gaze stopped on the face that was staring directly back at him.
He couldn’t see much of the soldier’s face; the collar of his trench coat was pulled up high against the cold and his metal helmet was pulled down low over his brow. But his face was stern and his icy blue eyes held Elisha in a cold gaze as he watched his every move. Now that Elisha had seen the eyes he had felt boring into his back earlier, it left him with an even more ominous feeling. He looked away quickly and continued shuffling his way along with the crowd towards a line of transport trucks.
Elisha stood and waited with everybody else as they were pushed forward and searched. Their baggage had long ago been taken from them and anything of value they still had on them, or in their pockets, was taken now too.
Just as they started moving forward again, Elisha felt a sudden painful stabbing sensation as the steel barrel of an assault rifle jabbed him in the ribs.
“Halt!” The voice right next to him said so loudly it made him jump. Stop.
Elisha looked up and straight into the face of the guard who had been watching him. Elisha stared at him, frightened out of his mind.
Unable to keep up the eye contact with him, Elisha let his glance fall from the guard’s face and onto his chest. The collar of his trench coat was pulled up high but the first few buttons were undone and the coat gaped open as he stood pressing his rifle into Elisha’s chest, allowing Elisha to see his uniform from his throat to his sternum.
The uniform was charcoal grey like those of all the soldiers, smart and tailored to fit him perfectly. On the grey material of his uniform jacket he wore the insignia of his regiment and rank. All the emblems and insignia were stitched in silver thread; the effect was both striking and frightening.
On his right collar were embroidered what looked like two thick silver lightning bolts enclosed in a silver border. Elisha stared at the double “S” lightning bolts and recoiled at the instant recognition of the emblem of the dreaded Nazi “SS”.
On his right collar were embroidered what looked like two thick silver lightning bolts enclosed in a silver border. Elisha stared at the double “S” lightning bolts and recoiled at the instant recognition of the emblem of the dreaded Nazi “SS”.
On his left collar was the “Totenkopf” badge… the Death-head. Silver skull-and-crossbones, that was as ominous as it was morbidly beautiful. The face was angled slightly to the side, making it different from the playful Jolly Roger pirate flag of childhood games. The blank eye sockets of the skull stared out vacantly and its mouth was slightly open in an evil grimace. The cruel combination of the SS runes and the silver death-head made Elisha tremble. He barely noticed the man’s rank chevrons – two silver lines embroidered along the edge of his collar and his matching sleeve insignia; the two sliver V’s stitched along his cuff. Even if Elisha had noted them, he wouldn’t have known that they gave the man the rank of Lieutenant.
Under his coat, hidden from view was the embroidered silver Reich’s Eagle; its wings outstretched, a swastika encircled in a leafy wreath, clutched in its claws.
But Elisha didn’t see any of that; his eyes were drawn to the bright red armband wrapped around the soldier’s trench coat. It encircled his upper arm – blood red with a black stripe top and bottom, and in the middle on a white circular background was a large black swastika.
The sign that Elisha had come to dread in every midnight raid they had endured over the past few months of forced living in the ghetto.
The sign that Elisha had come to dread in every midnight raid they had endured over the past few months of forced living in the ghetto.
Elisha looked down past the muzzle of the gun that still poked painfully into his chest and noticed that he could see his face reflected back at him in the soldier’s shiny black boots.
“Zurück!” The man barked at him, shoving his gun harder into Elisha’s chest. Move back!
“Helfen sie mir,” Elisha said, trying to remember as much German as he could. Help me.
“Zurück!” The soldier hissed at him again. “Folgen sie ihm. Schnell!” Follow him. Quickly! He jabbed the barrel of his gun into Elisha’s body once more then pulled it away and waved it after the man he wanted Elisha to follow.
“Bitte,” Elisha begged. Please.
Expressionlessly, the soldier grabbed Elisha’s arm and turned him around, shoving him after a man who was heading in the opposite direction.
Elisha gulped back terrified tears and followed the man as he was told. They ended up at the back of yet another queue, with soldiers pushing and shoving people around, dogs growling and pulling on their chains, and terrified children screaming for their parents.
Just then, he noticed the first of the prisoners moving among them collecting up the abandoned luggage and carrying it to small carts to be taken away and sorted through. They were wearing dirty striped prison-camp pajama uniforms, some with cloth caps on their shaved heads, some with ill fitting wooden shoes on their feet and some with just rags tied around their feet. They all looked ill and starved.
“Zurück!” The man barked at him, shoving his gun harder into Elisha’s chest. Move back!
“Helfen sie mir,” Elisha said, trying to remember as much German as he could. Help me.
“Zurück!” The soldier hissed at him again. “Folgen sie ihm. Schnell!” Follow him. Quickly! He jabbed the barrel of his gun into Elisha’s body once more then pulled it away and waved it after the man he wanted Elisha to follow.
“Bitte,” Elisha begged. Please.
Expressionlessly, the soldier grabbed Elisha’s arm and turned him around, shoving him after a man who was heading in the opposite direction.
Elisha gulped back terrified tears and followed the man as he was told. They ended up at the back of yet another queue, with soldiers pushing and shoving people around, dogs growling and pulling on their chains, and terrified children screaming for their parents.
Just then, he noticed the first of the prisoners moving among them collecting up the abandoned luggage and carrying it to small carts to be taken away and sorted through. They were wearing dirty striped prison-camp pajama uniforms, some with cloth caps on their shaved heads, some with ill fitting wooden shoes on their feet and some with just rags tied around their feet. They all looked ill and starved.
“Hey.” Elisha grabbed the arm of one close to them. “Is this Auschwitz?” He asked.
The man stared blankly at him, as if he had long ago lost his mind. “I think you’ll find Hell is a better name for it,” he said at last in a dead voice.
“What’s going to happen to us?” Elisha asked.
“You’re going to die.” The man replied, then glanced at the line they were standing in. “But first you’re going to work.”
“What do you mean?”
“This side on the right is for the people who are going into forced labour. Those people on the left,” He said, pointing to the lines of people Elisha had just left and who were now climbing into the waiting trucks, “They’re going straight to the gas chambers. They’re the lucky ones.” The man sighed and moved away to his cart with the suitcase he was dragging behind him.
The man stared blankly at him, as if he had long ago lost his mind. “I think you’ll find Hell is a better name for it,” he said at last in a dead voice.
“What’s going to happen to us?” Elisha asked.
“You’re going to die.” The man replied, then glanced at the line they were standing in. “But first you’re going to work.”
“What do you mean?”
“This side on the right is for the people who are going into forced labour. Those people on the left,” He said, pointing to the lines of people Elisha had just left and who were now climbing into the waiting trucks, “They’re going straight to the gas chambers. They’re the lucky ones.” The man sighed and moved away to his cart with the suitcase he was dragging behind him.
Elisha’s blood ran cold as he watched the doomed group he had been a part of. He looked up at the raised step and found the blond, blue-eyed guard who had turned him around and pushed him out of the line. The man was still staring at him, but as soon as Elisha looked at him, he turned away.
“Is that not a good thing, then?” Elisha asked, “we are all going into the camp instead of to the…” But he couldn’t bring himself to say the words.
“Not necessarily,” another prisoner said. “There is still the medical selection to go through and then they split you up into the living and the dead again. Don’t be too hasty to celebrate,” the man told him.
By “medical selection”, the man had not meant what Elisha had thought. At the head of the line, as the people slowly shuffled along, was a man who would become infamous as the most hated physician in the world, The Angel of Death, Dr. Josef Mengele.
“Is that not a good thing, then?” Elisha asked, “we are all going into the camp instead of to the…” But he couldn’t bring himself to say the words.
“Not necessarily,” another prisoner said. “There is still the medical selection to go through and then they split you up into the living and the dead again. Don’t be too hasty to celebrate,” the man told him.
By “medical selection”, the man had not meant what Elisha had thought. At the head of the line, as the people slowly shuffled along, was a man who would become infamous as the most hated physician in the world, The Angel of Death, Dr. Josef Mengele.
He cut a fine and handsome figure in his tailored uniform as he closely scrutinized the faces and bodies of the people who shuffled in front of him. The soldier standing at his side yelled out to the crowd, “zwillinge, zwillinge." Twins, twins.
From behind Elisha, a woman stepped forward clutching the hands of two little girls, they looked very alike but not identical.
“Are they twins?” Mengele asked her.
“Is it good if they are?” She questioned.
He looked them up and down, studying their faces before he nodded his head to say yes.
“Then yes, they are twins.” The girl’s mother said and the children’s hands were pulled from hers and they were pushed to the left while their mother was pushed to the right of the line. The little girls looked back at her and began to cry. “Hush,” she called out to them. “Go with the man and be good. I will see you inside,” the little girls nodded and bravely followed the soldier who took them to stand with another group of children – all of whom had an identical partner whose hand they clutched in fear.
The girls, Romanian twins, had arrived in Auschwitz in 1944. Their names are Eva and Miriam Mozes and both girls survived the war and the experiments performed on them – their mother, father, two older sisters, grandparents, uncle, aunt and cousins did not. It’s not known what substance they were injected with during the “research” that was done on them, but both became very ill and were plagued with health problems all their lives. Miriam died of a rare cancer in 1993 at about 60 years of age, while Eva is in her early 70’s and lives with her American husband – also a camp survivor – in Indiana, where she founded a Holocaust Museum, CANDLES (Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors) and gives lectures on the subject. Eva later publicly forgave the Nazis and in particular, Dr. Josef Mengele, contrary to Jewish Law. Her video, Auschwitz to Forgiveness, can be viewed here.
From behind Elisha, a woman stepped forward clutching the hands of two little girls, they looked very alike but not identical.
“Are they twins?” Mengele asked her.
“Is it good if they are?” She questioned.
He looked them up and down, studying their faces before he nodded his head to say yes.
“Then yes, they are twins.” The girl’s mother said and the children’s hands were pulled from hers and they were pushed to the left while their mother was pushed to the right of the line. The little girls looked back at her and began to cry. “Hush,” she called out to them. “Go with the man and be good. I will see you inside,” the little girls nodded and bravely followed the soldier who took them to stand with another group of children – all of whom had an identical partner whose hand they clutched in fear.
The girls, Romanian twins, had arrived in Auschwitz in 1944. Their names are Eva and Miriam Mozes and both girls survived the war and the experiments performed on them – their mother, father, two older sisters, grandparents, uncle, aunt and cousins did not. It’s not known what substance they were injected with during the “research” that was done on them, but both became very ill and were plagued with health problems all their lives. Miriam died of a rare cancer in 1993 at about 60 years of age, while Eva is in her early 70’s and lives with her American husband – also a camp survivor – in Indiana, where she founded a Holocaust Museum, CANDLES (Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors) and gives lectures on the subject. Eva later publicly forgave the Nazis and in particular, Dr. Josef Mengele, contrary to Jewish Law. Her video, Auschwitz to Forgiveness, can be viewed here.
Twins were Dr. Mengele’s fascination and obsession, and the experiments he performed on them in the name of science would revolt people for decades to come.
Next it was Elisha’s turn at the head of the line and the Doctor looked him over, deciding if he was fit to live or not.
“Jew,” he sneered as soon as he noticed the yellow star Elisha wore on the front of his jacket. “Don’t worry; I will cure you of your affliction. Step to the right.”
Elisha did as he was told, silently grateful that he hadn’t been told to move left where all the older and weaker people seemed to be.
Slowly, the crowd snaked along the platform and through the gates they were being led through.
Elisha glanced up as they were herded through the gates and felt an iron fist of dread close around his heart as he walked under the words “Arbeit Macht Frei”. Work liberates, work will set you free. The irony of it hit him fully in the chest as he understood the only thing they would know here was work and hardship – and the freedom that liberated them would come from death alone.
Next it was Elisha’s turn at the head of the line and the Doctor looked him over, deciding if he was fit to live or not.
“Jew,” he sneered as soon as he noticed the yellow star Elisha wore on the front of his jacket. “Don’t worry; I will cure you of your affliction. Step to the right.”
Elisha did as he was told, silently grateful that he hadn’t been told to move left where all the older and weaker people seemed to be.
Slowly, the crowd snaked along the platform and through the gates they were being led through.
Elisha glanced up as they were herded through the gates and felt an iron fist of dread close around his heart as he walked under the words “Arbeit Macht Frei”. Work liberates, work will set you free. The irony of it hit him fully in the chest as he understood the only thing they would know here was work and hardship – and the freedom that liberated them would come from death alone.
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