Mr. Kasirer (Part VIII)

After this episode we continued walking until we arrived in Gleiowicz. All the barracks were full; however, in the far distance, my father saw some empty barracks. It was nighttime and very cold. We began walking in that direction when we suddenly found ourselves among a huge number of prisoners. We were unable to move in any direction. In addition, there was a turnstile in front of us which blocked our passage. It was necessary to use a tremendous amount of effort to turn the turnstile. At the exit stood three S.S. kapos, brandishing big wooden sticks. As each person passed he was hit over the head with the stick. Many people were killed. The white snow on the ground was covered with blood. There were teenage boys around, crying in pain, “Daddy, Daddy, don’t leave me alone,” but their fathers were no longer alive. I told my father, “If you get through the turnstile, run like a chicken, back and forth, so you won’t get hit.” Chasdei Hashem, he managed to use this tactic and he only got hit on his shoulder. Since I was prepared for this I ran very quickly and managed to escape the beating.

After this last episode we were able to find an empty barrack. I got pushed into a corner near a window and couldn’t move from my spot. While peering out of the window I spotted a soldier carrying ammunition, and behind him was a group of people being led by soldiers down an embankment. Gunshots rang out loud and clear; they had all been killed. During the time I stood at the window I counted 600 people walking to their deaths.

Following this horrible event there was an announcement informing us that a train was waiting for us to board. My father wasn’t aware of the sight I had witnessed. I informed him what had just transpired and how many people I witnessed being killed. I told him that we should head for the train immediately. We ran and others followed. When the Germans saw that not everyone was obeying their orders they began shooting, which made the rest of the people run towards the train. The train filled up to full capacity, but they kept stuffing people in. There was one German who began shouting, “Why are you pushing each other like that? You Jews should be better behaved.” Someone recognized him as a German Jew and confronted him. He replied that although it was true — his background was Jewish — for the last 150 years his family belonged to the Catholic Church. He was asked what he would do if he survived this horror. Would he return to Judaism or would he continue on as a Catholic? However, when we got off the train in Buchenwald he was not one of the survivors. From the 160 people on the train, only seven of them survived; the rest died of starvation. From the 10,000 people who left on January 18, 1945, only 10 days later, upon arriving in Buchenwald, there were only 1,000 who had survived. Most of those who perished had frozen to death.

What happened upon your arrival in Buchenwald?

The train traveled on the right side of the station. It went around and around the station in order to reach Buchenwald. Each time we stopped the German driver made a short stop and everyone fell forward. Finally we arrived on the left side of the station in Buchenwald.

Buchenwald was extremely cold. We were told to take off all our clothing for disinfecting and then wash ourselves in cold water. We were then given a new set of clothing and sent to a barrack. There was a young Ukrainian man running through the forest. He kept asking me if I knew how to play chess. Although I myself did not play chess, I told him that my father, who knew how to speak the Ukrainian language, knew how to play chess well. He came with me into the barrack to wait for my father.

When my father came he began to tell us his story, and this is what he told us:

“We were in a city which housed three colleges and 17,000 students. When the Germans invaded the Ukraine they offered us the opportunity to join the Russian army. However, most of the students said, ‘We will not put on your uniform; we are nationalists and we want to be free Ukrainians. We don’t want German uniforms and we don’t want Russian uniforms; we want our own.’ Of the 17,000 students studying in these colleges, most of them were taken away and murdered. We heard that some of them were thrown into a fire alive!”

When he finished talking, the young Ukrainian man went on his way and we never saw him again.

to be continued…

to be continued…

These survivors’ memoirs are being compiled by Project Witness.