Possible Whereabouts #1

Concentration Camps

How were Jews treated in concentration camps?

Going through the documents, you stumble across an album containing of old photographs. The album is labelled 'The Auschwitz Album'. You open the album, and discover something about the concentration camp Auschwitz.

• What observations did you make about the groups of people in the photo? How were they dressed? How about their grouping? 
• Why were the people standing in orderly blocks? What could this indicate? 
• How different were the earlier photos from the later photos? 

In the concentration camps, the prospects for the Jews were grim. Some were sent to die immediately upon arrival, whilst others were forced to do hard labor and to endure harsh living conditions. Here were some examples:

	Overcrowded conditions in a women's barrack at Auschwitz
	Forced Labour of the Jews by the Nazis. Jewish inmates marching to their labor camp in another concentration camp.

Interior of a Gas chamber




Testaments written by Jewish prisoners in a Nazi death camp that were found after the war:

2 April 1943


This note is written by people who will live for only a few more hours. The person who will read this note will hardly be able to believe that this is true.

Still, this is the tragic truth, since place your brothers and sisters stayed, and they, too, died the same death! The name of this locality is Kolo. At a distance of 12 km from this town [Chelmno] there is a 'slaughterhouse' for human beings. We have worked here as craftsmen there [illegible word], I can give you their names.

Pinkus Grun of Wloclawek
Jonas Lew of Brzeziny
Szama Ika of Brzeziny
Zemach Szumiraj of Wloclawek
Jesyp Majer of Kalisz
Wachtel Symcha of Leczyca
Wachtel Srulek of Leczyca
Beniek Jastrzebski of Leczyca
Nusbaum Aron of Skepe
Ojser Strasburg of Lutomiersk
Mosiek Plocker of Kutno
Felek Plocker of Kutno
Josef Herszkowicvz Plocker of Kutno
Chaskel Zerach of Leczyca
Wolf Szlamowicfz of Kalisz
Gecel of Turek

These are, then, the persons' names which I give here. These are only a few people from among the hundreds of thousands who died here!

Activity 4:
How do you think it felt to be a Jew during the Holocaust? Write your reflections on the Holocaust below. If you like, you may write your reflections in the form of a poem or include links to videos.