Poland
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I was reluctant to use the title, From Zero to 102 as the title, I didn’t want it to look like a review for a car. However, I couldn’t think of a more suitable title either. The 0 and the 102 are the ages of two victims of the Holocaust. This is how evil the…
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Max Hirsch was one of the 937 passengers aboard the St. Louis, the cruise ship that left the port of Hamburg on May 13, 1939, with Cuba as its final destination. The vast majority of the passengers were Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany. Across the Atlantic Ocean, they hoped to find a safe haven. However,…
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Geleen is a small former mining town in the province of Limburg, in the southeast of the Netherlands. It is not a particularly famous place, although it is where the first professional football was played in the Netherlands, and it used to host one of the world’s biggest rock festivals, “PinkPop.” It is also where…
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This blog is not intended to pass judgment. However, when writing about the Holocaust, it’s important not to shy away from its more controversial aspects. As I mentioned at the beginning, my goal is not to judge anyone—because the truth is, I cannot say with certainty how I would have acted in a similar situation.…
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The term ‘work extension’ was a euphemistic term for the actual goal of the deportations: to work to death those who were healthy enough to work and to murder all others. At least 102,000 Jewish Dutch people were murdered or died from exhaustion and diseases. Auschwitz-BirkenauIt is not exactly known when the Nazis decided to…
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They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and while that may be true, a photograph never tells the whole story. Although photographic evidence of the Holocaust is invaluable, I believe that reading or hearing the firsthand accounts of survivors is just as important—if not more so, Premysl Dobias was born in June 1913…
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Rutka Laskier’s Teenage Account of the Holocaust Rutka Laskier was just 14 years old when she was murdered in the gas chambers at Auschwitz. In the months leading up to her death, much like Anne Frank in Amsterdam, Rutka kept a diary documenting her deepest thoughts, fears, and the horrors she witnessed. When the Nazis…
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Amid the horrors of the Nazi death camps, some managed to survive. Among them were David Szumiraj and his wife, Perla, who met in Auschwitz. David Szumiraj arrived at Auschwitz in late 1942. His left forearm was branded with the number 1 4 5 0 8 6.While working in the potato fields, he often found…
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I am certain this piece will stir emotions and likely spark controversy. Some may question, “Why choose this subject?” However, to truly understand the Holocaust—both for future generations and ourselves—it is essential to explore all aspects, no matter how difficult. Recently, I came to understand how deeply important it was for many Holocaust survivors to…
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On March 26, 1942, nearly 1,000 women were transported from the Ravensbrück concentration camp to Auschwitz. Most were labeled as “criminals” or “asocials.” Just a few hours later, another transport arrived—this time, almost 1,000 Jewish women from Slovakia. This marked the first official transport of women to Auschwitz. Rather than detailing the event itself, I…
History of Sorts 