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Play MovieFebruary 3, 2008 - Part 5 of 6
Section below transcribed by: Rebecca A (2010)
Please report errors to: info@tellingstories.org.
Its a good thing you?
Its a good thing I was able to do- I was able to do my work when I was a barber in the barracks, in Kelbasin, I used to use the hand-clippers to shave all the people, the pubic hair and everything. It was infested with lice and all. After a while, I couldn't move my fingers anymore, they were just so tired. My dad helped me out, he did my part. Finished up my part. So we did help each other.
In your book, you were talking about how the only thing that mattered was the present. Can you talk about how you decided that philosophy?
Well here is the philosophy, it is really very simple. Every morning we were all lined up at barracks like this. There were barracks here, there were barracks here, there were barracks here. So right in front of the barracks we would have to line up. In a column. Five people, rows, to a column. We had to stand there until the entire camp, the section of the camp, was counted. Lets see, that was 4,959 people there yesterday. They had accounted to be that many there today. So the Jewish leaders, there is one leader for every barrack, would count the people in rows. Then the German soldier, officer, would make sure the count is correct, he would write it down, then he would write it down over here, then he would write it down over here, over here, and then they go on and write it down all over. That took hours, and we just standed at attention. It was hot. If there was a miscount, it was "I only counted 4,952, there are seven people missing. I have to do a recount." We had nothing but time, we had nothing else to do. We weren't working, we weren't eating. So we counted again.
Were there days where you just stood in line all day?
Not all day, but a good part of the day. While I was standing in line, I saw the sun rise over here. We started at dawn. I said to myself, "Thank you, God, for giving me this extra day to live, of course the day I wasn't laying down as sick, I wasn't laying down as dead, I was alive. If I make it through this day, I'll ask for another." The next day, same thing. The next day, same thing. The next day, same thing. This is why the title of my book is "The Last Sunrise," because everyday I thought I was watching the last day of my life. When you think you are watching the last day of your life, yeah, then you just take care of one day at a time.
Even after all the recounts, they still didn't count all the people, what did they do?
Well eventually- sometimes one would escape. If one would escape they would catch them, because there are dogs out. Then they would put them in the middle of the square. They would have them kneel, and they would shoot them in front of everybody. I remember seeing that.
While you were being counted, what were you thinking about? Were you talking with other people?
No, you don't talk. You are silent. You are silent. IF you talk, you can get beaten up or shot. There was nothing for a German to take out his pistol and shoot you. You saw Schindler's List, you saw how-did you see Schindler's List? No? Its a good movie to see. You see Schindler's List?
I have seen parts of it. A long time ago. I guess should people – as long as they're Jews, or Gypsies, no problem.
In the camps, when you talk about throughout the years, there is always difficulties in winter or difficulties in summer because it is either really hot or really cold. Which did you think was harder? Summer or winter? Really cold or really hot?
They were both horrible. During the winter, the temperature would go to 40 below 0. People would freeze. It was unlivable, we had no heat, we had no food. During the summer, it was scorching, horribly hot. No water, always thirsty. I got typhoid fever while I was at Auschwitz.
What happened?
Well, luckily, my father helped me there. He was able to give shaves, and he got from somebody a little piece of bread he was able to share with me. One time I was able to get some water, I was burning up from the fever. So he gave me some water, in a bottle. That helped me. I was able to get some modger a piece of bacon from somewhere, from somebody. There was a doctor. I had a big boil under my arm, a great big big boil. I still have a scar there too. My father gave the doctor a little piece of bacon so he could operate on me, open it all up and drain it. He used an old razor blade to do the surgery. I hate to talk about things like that. Then they put some towels around it. The puss just would come out, even go around my neck. Everything would get wet from the puss. Eventually the hole would get smaller and smaller.
Was this a German doctor?
No, a Jewish doctor.
Jewish doctor?
Jewish doctor, who was a prisoner just like we were.
What was it like to have Jewish people be of a higher rank than you?
They were horrible, but that is what it was. There is other facts. So luckily too, I was able to overcome this without being shot. This and typhoid fever. Other things, it was just- I had sores on my feet, we didn't have any shoes. We would just wrap bags around.
Could we go back for a minute to Auschwitz? Could you describe what it was like when you entered the camp?
I think I did it to you last time, I think.
Oh yeah? Do we that last time?
You guys read it. You would know.
I know its in your book. I remember what you talked about was when you got off the train, and then you started to talk about when you were walking into the chamber, and then the commander pulled you out. I just wanted you to talk about that.
Well that's another miracle, isn't it? There was this train, with boxcars. Thirty of them. The locomotive was already unhooked, and was drove away. The gates were closed. The command was given, after the battalion officers ????? surrounded the train. Some on top, on all sides with machine guns. "Open all doors and everybody out!" All the doors were slid open, and everybody "Up up, quick quick, raus, raus, raus!.” Dead people, sick people, everybody out. We were lined up here. A column of five people. All the way from the train, just lined up. Then, right here, were the Jewish people that were going to help us go through the process of being gassed and burned. Who were already there. They were pulled aside because they were stronger. They were given extra food. They looked like they were well fed.
I was right in front, right here, at the end. My father was right over here. One of those people was from our town. He said to him, "Yankoff Where are we, what is this?" And he said, "Don't you know? This is Auschwitz, this is the death camp. You are going to die in twenty minutes." Here is the crematorium right here, there was a big chimney right here. You see the flames coming out of the chimney, the smoke. We could even smell the flesh. He says "You are going to be dead in twenty minutes. But there is nothing you can do, so don't try to escape. You cant escape." I was standing right next to my father, holding his hand. I pretended I didn't hear it. I heard it, but I pretended I didn't hear it. I thought this about being grown up: "What can my father do?" ????? "Dad? Is it true? Am I really going to die?" What would my dad say? He would have to lie, he would have to face me. He would have to. What could he say? I didn't want to burden him with that.
While we were talking, a command was given "Column left face, and everybody forward march." That is when I began thinking "How much longer have I got to live?" This is when I was counting the minutes. Over here, when you got to the end, a command was given: "column left face," and you were heading towards the gates of the crematorium. The crematorium was right in there. So I figured, about five minutes to go to here. About another two minutes to go to here, thats seven. Another seven minutes to get a dress, maybe. To go to the gas chamber, so thats fourteen. How long it takes to die, maybe another three minutes. Thats seventeen. By that time I was already over here, where everybody was marching in. I had to start all over again. I don't have that much to ????? Can you imagine someone going through the mind of a twelve, thirteen year old boy. You cant imagine that.
As we got near the gate, I was on the edge. I looked in. I could see a pile of bodies, like a pyramid. I hear women in a gazebo playing music, women, music. Their violins, their cellos, were playing beautiful Strauss waltzes. All their hair was shaved off. They were skinny. They had long prison uniforms all the way down to their feet. They were forced to do that. ????? they are going to a party. As I got near the gate, within five meters of it, there was three officers. One of them was an elderly man, maybe in his sixties, with white hair, big, well-fed, dressed like impeccably with uniform, have his gun right here, his polished boots, and leather gloves, nice hat, had a good hair cut. He had a cane, with a curved handle he was holding onto. There was two young officers in their thirties very young handsome young charming men. Also impeccably dressed. They had their whip ?????, they all wound those behind their back and we've seen those whips before. There were pieces of lead under there, and when they hit you, the whip goes around you and the piece of lead hits you. And where it is, it is horrible, it just breaks bones and everything. It is very hard.
As we were coming closer, I looked at him. He took his cane, put it around my neck, pulled me out of line. My father held my hand, so he came too. He adverted his eyes to another person, pulled them out of line. Doesn't make a difference who was taken out of line to him. But father holding my hand saved his life. Isn't this remarkable and unbelievable? When he pulled me out of line, he could have pulled you out of line [points to student]. Thats how random things were. So why am I here? It is a miracle I am here. I am very honored to be with you people, and tell you this. So you could see, and realize, that we are all the same, even though we are different faith, as one God we all reach him by different way. We all must live together, because we live in a very fragile civilization, and that can be destroyed if we don't get along in peace. This is why my website is peace, this is why everybody is striving for peace, and this is why there is no peace. People don't realize it. People think "I am better, my religion is better." It has got to stop, or we are doomed for extinction. Human race is doomed for extinction.
In your book you talked about how you think that God spared your life because he wanted you to tell the story to generations and to help them learn more about the Holocaust. Can you talk more about that?
I can talk just a little bit more because I am getting very very upset about it. When I think of God putting his cane around my neck, and pulling me out of line, God said to me "Harold, or Hirshel," he said to me, "You will live, and you will make sure that the world will never forget." That's enough.
Want to stop? Take a quick break?
Aren’t we done?
We can stop and we can come back and move beyond, way beyond, I know they have some questions about your more recent life.
Ok, you can see why this is so emotional. I am looking at this, not me, I'm looking at this. They saved my life! They added seven years to my life.
Would you be willing to show us your tattoo?
Just for you and your group, I will be willing.
Do you do this for other schools? Do you show them?
A lot of times they ask me. I have been to schools where there is an assembly with 400 kids or more. They just line up, they are so interested. It is unbelievable. Sometimes when they cant get up, I go around all the aisles and show it to them.
What is your number?
B-2209. B is for Birkenau. That is where the crematoriums were.
You were one of eleven people on your transport?
On my 3,000 transport...
I mean one of 3,000.
Im not saying that all eleven survived. The eleven that were in Auschwitz, and when I left Auschwitz, as a tailor, there were nine left behind.
