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Auschwitz in the Memories of Former Prisoners a Rabbi Comes to a Priest

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Auschwitz in the Memories of Former Prisoners a Rabbi Comes to a Priest O Ś WIĘ CIM ISSN 1899 -4407 PEOPLE CULTURE HISTORY AUSCHWITZ IN THE MEMORIES OF FORMER PRISONERS A RABBI COMES TO A PRIEST EXTENSIVE GROUNDS VANISHED WORLD no. 35 November 2011 Oś—Oświęcim, People, History, Culture magazine, no. 35, November 2011 EDITORIAL BOARD: Oś—Oświęcim, People, History, Culture magazine EDITORIAL Meeting witnesses to history, former prisoners of Ausch- rated the pre-War friendship of the two most important witz, are of course for obvious reasons popular events, religious fi gures in the city. At the same time, we also as can be seen on the cover of Oś. The guests of the No- encourage you to reach for the, already, fi fth part of the vember Educational Session of the International Center guidebook of the Jewish history of Oświęcim. for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust, which Editor: drew around 300 participants, teachers and their stu- In the November Oś we also report on the documentary Paweł Sawicki dents, were: Zofi a Posmysz, Prof. Wacław Długoborski, fi lm, which was directed by Gerburg Rohde-Dahl, enti- Editorial secretary: as well as Juliusz Zon. In this edition, we publish excerpts tled Extensive Grounds, devoted to the Holocaust monu- Agnieszka Juskowiak -Sawicka of their reminiscences. ment in Berlin, as well as the Polish—German—Israeli Editorial board: seminar, The rights for education and faith during the era of Bartosz Bartyzel We also recommend to you an article by Dr. Artur Szyn- National Socialism and in the contemporary world that took Wiktor Boberek Jarek Mensfelt dler from the Jewish Center, which is devoted to two place at the International Youth Meeting Center. individuals, who because of their important roles have Olga Onyszkiewicz Paweł Sawicki Jadwiga Pinderska -Lech become a part of the history of Oświęcim. Father Jan Skar- Editor -in -chief Artur Szyndler bek and Rabbi Eliasz Bombach were the main characters [email protected] Columnist: in the project: A Rabbi Comes to a Priest, which commemo- Mirosław Ganobis Design and layout: Agnieszka Matuła, Grafi kon Translations: David R. Kennedy A GALLERY OF THE 20TH CENTURY Proofreading: Beata Kłos Cover: We had been in this place ment notebook. These visits, Having moved house not everything, did not take An education session, before: near as well as with- though business-related and long ago, I carried out yet “too good a care” of the Auschwitz in the memories of former prisoners. in this home during our ride routine, always involved an another, as always, little fate and interests of the so- Photo: Paweł Sawicki down memory lane—many exchange of views—I was effective investigation and called tenement-dwellers times! We fi nd ourselves already a teenager worthy house cleaning expedition —a relic, according to the there, to fi nd some of the of having a good conversa- into the contents of my desk “contemporary” under- past, perhaps for the last tion—usually, there was drawer collection, where standing of history—of old PUBLISHER: time! also an opportunity to offer I discovered among the times and system! Once I reminisced, that dur- me tea with a cake, or hot deepest of the hidden paper Mrs. Ślosarczykowa, her Auschwitz -Birkenau ing a certain time period cocoa that was served in work, a proof of payment maiden name Nowogrodz- State Museum during the 1950s, it was fragile teacups, which were for an apartment rental fee ka, often—of course joking- my monthly duty to pay the size of thimbles. Often, from March 1954, on which ly—compared it with mine, www.auschwitz.org a visit to the little palace I was welcomed by the loud there was a signature of which—as she said—pho- of Madame doctor Maria barking of her intimidating Madame Ślosarczykowa, netically brought us closer Ślosarczykowa and pay the great Bernard named Grom, who I mentioned above. and linked us. And her fa- PARTNERS: rental fee for our apartment, whose main residence was The monthly rental fee—15 ther had been a... lawyer! which was confi rmed by the a doghouse in the back Zloty—was nothing much, Jewish recipient of the payment in garden, but sometimes he symbolic, and the then Center the form of a signature on was allowed to “enter the current regime’s offi cials, Andrzej Winogrodzki www.ajcf.pl a piece of paper—our pay- rooms.” who regulated, regimented Center for Dialogue and Prayer Foundation www.centrum -dialogu.oswiecim.pl International Youth Meeting Center www.mdsm.pl IN COOPERATION WITH: Kasztelania www.kasztelania.pl State Higher Vocational Schoolol in Oświęcim www.pwsz -oswiecim.pliecimpl Editorial address: „Oś – Oświęcim, Ludzie, Historia, Kultura” Państwowe Muzeum Auschwitz -Birkenau ul. Więźniów Oświęcimia 20 32 -603 Oświęcim e -mail: [email protected] Photo: Private archive A proof of payment for an apartment rental fee signed by Mrs. Ślosarczykowa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Oś—Oświęcim, People, History, Culture magazine, no. 35, November 2011 Auschwitz -Birkenau State Museum AUSCHWITZ IN THE MEMORIES OF FORMER PRISONERS lmost 300 individuals—teachers as well as young people—took part in an educa- tion session, entitled Auschwitz in the Memories of Former Prisoners, organized on the A8 and 9 of November by the International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim. The audience members lis- stepped on my shoe and I lost eral years in the Camp. They Schreiberin,’ she said, ‘You tened to a lecture by Dr. Piotr my place in the marching col- were totally depraved, and will keep the Buchhaltung.’ Setkiewicz about the found- umn. I was pulled out of the acted out against others in I told her that I do not know Sawicki ing and the development of marching column and beaten a sadistic manner. Every day, how to do such a job. ‘You’ll ł the Auschwitz Concentration about the head. Because of the we had to carry a person so learn,’ she answered. The and Death Camps and were fact that I had fallen out of for- badly beaten, that they could next day, she entered the also able to meet with the mation, I was sent on Sunday not walk under their own kitchen and behind her, there guests of the session who had to do work as punishment. power back into the Camp. was also a prisoner. She came Photo: Pawe Director Krystyna Oleksy been prisoners at the Camp: We were aware of what was They then died in the Camp. to the table and said, ‘This is opening the session Zofi a Posmysz (camp num- taking place. While I was in We worked in the Wasserkom- prisoner will teach you how ber 7566), Juliusz Zon (camp the Birkenau Camp, I saw the mando. Its work was based to keep an inventory of items to fi nd a good job here and number 821) as well as Pro- clearing of the Gypsy camp. on cutting out the vegetation coming in and items that are get to know the right peo- fessor Wacław Długoborski Then I worked on construct- that grew in the fi shponds. used.’ I saw that this prisoner ple. Afterwards, he helped (camp number 138871)— ing a road in the vicinity of The Germans wanted to re- had the number 329. The next me in fi nding a fi tting job eyewitnesses of the Nazis’ crematorium number four. turn the overgrown ponds day the prisoner once again for me. After being quaran- crimes, who spoke about their In August of 1944, Jews from to a state in which it would arrived. In the evening, when tined, we were sent to sector wartime experiences while in Hungary were deported be possible to raise farmed he was leaving, he managed BIId, the men’s sector. This Auschwitz. Below fragments to the Auschwitz Camp. fi sh. We worked in water that to give me a small medal. He acquaintance pulled me into of these participants’ testimo- I saw them from a distance was up to our waist, in the said, ‘Here, keep it and let it the Kommando that worked in nies are published. of one hundred meters, as rain, and in the cold in those lead you to freedom.’ This the warehouses with bowls, they walked from the ramp ponds. After two months was the last time that I ever blankets, and such items; Juliusz Zon: to the crematoria. There was of being there, out of two saw him. This was in June which was in sector BIIb. This “My survival of Auschwitz no way to help them. Over hundred individuals, 143 re- of 1943. And in September work allowed us to come into was decided by several dra- a dozen minutes after they turned; the rest were either of 1943, one of the boys that contact with Czech Jews. matic moments. One of those, had walked passed, we heard murdered or died from ex- carried the cauldrons told They were very interested in was a moment when I had a horrifying scream, and after haustion. me that if I had letters from what was happening in Po- recovered from typhus. On that we witnessed the smoke We were placed in block Lisowski, because he had land. We were able to garner a certain day, I was released starting to rise from the chim- number seven, it was the, so- been writing secret messages several good contacts there. from the hospital block, back ney of the crematorium.” called, Polish block, which to me, I should destroy them, After half a year the group into the Camp. I felt extreme- was a good thing, since the since he had been arrested.
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