Stories SELECTION

Upon arriving in Auschwitz the Nazis made the ‘Selection’.

My Mother told me: “after stepping down from the train, we were divided into two groups: my father Arie, my mother Leah, and my sisters Tzipi & Eti were sent to the left; I was sent with my brothers to the right. Later, they divided men from women; I saw my brothers once again in striped clothes and could hardly recognize them. I was told that my younger brother Moshe died but I never found out what happened to my older brother Eli” (my mother lived with the hope that maybe he survived too…).

The main selector, Josef Mengele- “the Angel of Death” was shouting: “Left!” “Right!” and those useless for work, too young, too old or sick, were sent to the gas chambers. Those who could be used for hard labor, age 14 and up, were chosen to live.  Mengele was also selecting prisoners to be used as experimental medical subjects; his favorite genetic experiments were on twins.  The S.S. and Mengele were shouting ‘Zwillingel’! (Twins!). When found, they cruelly removed them from their parents and were sent to the Twin Barracks

After the selection, prisoners placed in Auschwitz were tattooed a number on their forearm. My mother’s number was: 5874; she hated it and tried to get rid of it with no success; My father was proud that even though he was marked like an animal, he survived and continued with life as a proud, good man.