Poland
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This is the aspect of the Holocaust I struggle most with. How can anyone look at this child and perceive him to be a threat to the nation. How can they look at his face and decide that he needs to be killed immediately. Sjelomo Hamburger would have celebrated his 80th birthday today. But he…
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Jawischowitz was a sub-camp located in the village of Jawiszowice (German: Jawischowitz). Prisoners held there were forced to work in two shafts of the Brzeszcze coal mine, situated in Jawiszowice and Brzeszcze. The camp began operating in mid-August 1942, when 150 French Jews arrived under an agreement between the SS Main Economic and Administrative Office…
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During the Holocaust, many people imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps across Europe had to fight tooth and nail to stay alive. And for Harry Haft, the fight was literal. Harry Haft, a Polish Jew whose harrowing experiences during World War II reflect both the cruelty of the Holocaust and the indomitable human spirit. Haft’s survival…
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The story of Emma van Essen-Frankenstein is a story of desperation. Her maiden name is also the name of a famous horror story, but Emma’s story is more horrific than that of her fictional namesake. She was born in Salzderkilden, Germany on 18 March 1862. In May 1893 she married Dutchman, Abraham Levie van Essen,…
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There were three groups of people in the Holocaust: The criminals who tortured and murdered; The victims murdered; and those who survived and were scarred for life—mentally and physically. The helpers were the people who helped the Jews and others to escape and survive. These are just examples of each group. The Criminal Hildegard Lachert…
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My last name is a bit of a mystery. A distant cousin started a family tree several years ago and at some stage he got stuck, because our family name seems to have appeared out of nowhere. He could trace it back to somewhere in the late 19th century. There are plenty of Klein’s but…
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Every aspect in Auschwitz was designed for either extermination or dehumanization of the prisoners, mainly Jewish prisoners. For those young and fit enough to work there was a daily roll call, sometimes these could last for hours. Prisoner were forced to stand still, wearing very thin clothing regardless what weather condition ,even the slightest movement…
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Awful atrocities were carried out at the Janowska concentration camp and surrounding Lvov (aka Lwow and Lviv) by the Nazis, Soviet troops and Ukrainian nationalists. In September 1941, the Germans set up a factory on Janowska Street in the northwestern suburbs of Lvov, in southeastern Poland(today Lviv in Ukraine). This factory became part of a…
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At first, I was reluctant to use the word beauty in the title because we now live in an era where some people might find that offensive, and they will scream about it. I pity them because they lose out on so much. Etty Hillesum was a beauty in every sense of the word. It…
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Hans Frank was a prominent figure in Nazi Germany, serving as Adolf Hitler’s personal legal advisor and later as the Governor-General of occupied Poland. Born on May 23, 1900, in Karlsruhe, Germany, Frank was initially trained as a lawyer, joining the Nazi Party in 1923. He quickly rose through the ranks by aligning himself closely…
History of Sorts 