Chapter 4 Flashcards
who is Tadeusz Pankiewicz
righteoue pole in Cracow - pharmasist
only non-jew pole allowed in cracow
Him and his nurses risked their lives to provide medicine and care for the jews
during the deportation process in the ghettos how were jews treated
horribly
they were forced out of their homes - some in underwear
SS guards trip crippled man, blind man
laugh and take pictures
what mitzvah was treated with the utmost respect in eastern europe
kibbud av veim
who is moshe flinker
15 yr old boy from The Hague Holland living in Brussles, Belgium w/ false identification papers
Story told by Moshe Flinker:
went to the shammas to buy clothes and bread
went to house - rang multiple times
rang diff bell and woman came to the door shaking
he asked if the ppl were homes - lady said they had been taken away in a car
she showed him doors covered with swastika
sees non-jews r happy
how were the flinkers found by the germans
who from the family died and who survived
betrayed by german sympathizers and were arrested on erev pesach
sent with 1,000 other belgiaan jews to Auschwitz
father mom and moshe were gassed right away
his three sisters survived and showed his diary to the world
When Jews arrived to a death camp (what kind of camp)
What would they see
Death camp = Treblinka
They would see number of clocks telling them times of diff cities in Europe
Why were there clocks at a death camp
Which one
TREBLINKA
The Germans would psychologically trick the Jews to calm them down
So with the clocks the Jews were meant to think that they’re at a railway station
If the Jews weren’t rushed what would they notice about the clocks
They were fake
What did the Germans place over the gas chambers
Where
DEATH CAMP
They placed a velvet cover for the holy ark with words of tehillim
What did it say on the paroches (velvet covering)
Zeh hashaar laHaShem tzaddikim yavo’u come
This is a gateway to GD
The righteous shall pass through
How big was Auschwitz’s
What was next to it
The concentration camp was as big as Manhattan
Birkeanu- largest death camp
What were the Germans big on?
Examples
Precision Perfection Efficiency
The trains carrying the Jews to AUSHWITZ had to be on time, but needed permission from Berlin first
Always in a big rush in concentration or death camps
When the Jews arrived to concentration camp what would happen right away
Which one
AUSHWITZ
Men and women were separated
There were barking German shepard dog and the officers shouting at them
What would the Jews be lined up for
Selection process
For which Jews would become slaves in concentration camps
In Auschwitz’s how many were picked to be a slave
1 out of 10
The Jews split in how many lines
This was the last time that….
Two
One for men
One for women
Children saw their mothers or fathers
How would the selection process work
A German doctor would look at them for a fraction of a second and tell them to go left or right
Who was sent to the left
Who was sent to the right
Left- 9 out of 10 lews
Including all little children under 12
Right - young healthy looking Jews worked as slaves on starvation diets
What was the food given to the Jewish slaves
Piece of bread
Bowl of dirty water with scraps of potatoes
Most of them died within two months
Since the Germans were always rushing within how many hours would the Jews be gassed
Within two
The Jews who were taking the luggage would tell mothers to do what
Why
Where
AUSHWITZ
To give their children to the older people
If a mother was seen with a child they will both die
If the child is given away
At least the mother would survive
What would the Jewish slaves whisper to talk Jewish boys and girls
To say they are older than they are
So they’re sent to work instead of to death
What would happen if a Jewish slave was caught speaking to the Jews getting off the cattle trains
Would be immediately shot
By late 1942 what did polish Jews know
About gas chambers
And that they were being deported to be killled
How many polish Jews had been killed?
And how did they get the info
Over 2 million
Some escapees from the camps had returned to the ghettos and reported what was happening
In the rest of Europe did Jews know what was happening
No
Believe they were sent to do hard work
What did Germans force the Hungarian Jews to do
Write postcards to family and friends that everything is fine before they went to gas chambers
What were the Greek lews of Salonica given
What were they told
Polish money in exchange for their
Greek money
To bring umbrellas because it’s raining in Poland
Where did the Jews on the cattle trains think they arrived at
Why
An insane asylum
Because they saw jewish prisoners with shaved heads with old and tattered clothing
How were they tricked before getting into the gas chambers
Given a towel
Given something that looks like a bar of soap
To think they’re taking a shower
What were each Jew assigned
A numbered hook to hang their clothing
And would have to remember their number
The four new gas chambers at auschwitz held how many people
Held up to two thousand people
Who is Rochel
17 year old girl from Holland
Spent two years hiding with Dutch non-Jews
What would Rochel do during. The day
At the German non Jew house
Hung to her siddur her mother gave
Davening to HaShem that someone else from her family would survive
What happened to Rochel in 1944
Betrayed by Dutch nazis
Was arrested by 24 soldiers
Another young man hiding in the same Dutch farm also got arrested
She left her siddur and the lady she stayed by said she will live and she will come back
What would Rochel do in Auschwitz’s before she fell asleep
What would she do in the winter
Would sneak out of the barracks and said Shema
She would daven and cry - her tears were frozen on her cheeks
Begged HaShem to help her live and find someone else from her family to be alive
When another Jewish girl in her barracks were dying from disease
What did Rochel do
She risked her life by sneaking into the working quarters of Dr.Mengele to smuggle out medicine
Who directed the Jews to go left or right
Dr.Mengele
After the war what did Rochel learn
When Rochel came back to her nongentile home what was there - hidden where
Rochel now
That her brother was alive
Her siddur (hidden in an empty beehive)
Raised beautiful Jewish family
Sends gifts to Dutch family
Siddur still in family
At the camps facilities what did they have
A band
How was the band dressed
Picked musicians led by who
When did they play
How was listening to them a horror
Hussar - military clothing
Famous Czech conductor
During Appel - roll call
Men set out to work
Stood left of courtyard
Matched them indoors
At least Twenty men would be dead
What would the SS men say about the Jews and Music
You see we give them music and they complain
I’m Auschwitz’s when did the band play
Jews walking to the gas chambers
in november of 1942
who knew about what was happening in europe
america and britian
did america and england do anything about this
did mostly nothing
england kept doors to EY closed
both refused to bomb the gas chambers of Birkeanu or train tracks leading to it (even though they bombed aushwitz)
in 1944 what did the US War Department reject and why
to bomb Aushwitz gas chambers and railways leading to Aushwitz claiming such actions would divert airpower from other operations
yet they were bombings by the Americans happening within 50 miles of aushwitz - 2x
who is Benito Mussolini
fascisit dictator of Italy - allies with Hitler
what did Mussolini do
what did he never do
1) made italian jews second class citizen
passed anti-semtitic laws
2) deport french, greek or Italian jews to death
upon mussolinis fall of power
what happened
germans moved to italy, greece, and SE France
germans began to deport jews
how many jews were rounded up in rome on shabbos
happened under who
1,000 Jews
Pope - Eugenio Pocelli - Pius XII (12)
what happened to those roman jews
what did Pius know
were locked up in prison for deportation
not even 1/2 mile away from vatican
he knew the fate of these jews and did not do anything
story of princess of italy and the pope
on shabbos morning as jews were being picked off the streets
she raced to vatican to see leader of church
she begged him to do something on behalf of the roman jews
pope came under increasing pressure to make public statement calling for release of the jews in his city
who else begged the pope to protest
why
how did the pope respond
German Counsul in Rome
Albrecht von Kessel
not many Italians showed interest in supporting german antisemtic program
feared there would be a violent response from roman non jews on germany when they learned of the deportations
didnt do anything
what was the pope more concerned about
the italian partisians taking over Rome (communits) over saving Jewish lives
what did the pope send in 1944
a telegram to leader of hungary ti stop the deportation of the last 230,000 jews
he said stop the suffering for people based on nationality or race - couldn’t say jews
how many jews did the vatican protect out of 4,000
450
when were death camps established
how many died in 11 months
march 1942
25-80%
the germans were out to get which jews and why
religious jews
bc if they were to survive they would be the ones to rebuild the nation
vs
non relig
would assimilate
what were young girls told to do
roll in dirt so she wont be used for prostitution
who is rudolph verba
scaped aushwitz
would share news w/ outside world
when the jews were in the gas chamber what would they do
try to escape
would pile ontop of each other
who is Lord Avon
british oreign secretary
heard reports abt whats happening to jews
made a statement but no actions
how long did it take the germans to conquer poland
less than 4 months
the germans made a video to show that they’re not hurting the jews
how did they do this
what happened by the time the video was released
took one camp
made it look nice
showed that the jews r rlly working
by the time it was released most of those jews in the video had died
who had an easier time going through this
rleigious/spiritual jews
even though everything was taken away
still had purpose in life
what is the Goldberg Comission
what is the conclusion
money given to research what america did, dint do and what they could’ve done during the holocoust
they could’ve done more
why did america reject bombing the railways to aushwitz
didnt want to kill ppl
it would take away ability from fighting in war
what is HItlers Pope
a book about how the Pope intentionally didn’t say anything
bc he had an agreement with Hitler
what was breakfast
dinner
.3 lb of stale, moldy bread
and “coffee” water
bread soup (water. would sometime sput hoursemeat)
what were chassidim doing on the way to the gas chamber
were singing and dancing, doing any mitzvah
they ere giving up life for kiddush HaShem
why did they give the jews number
jews who understood this….
to devalue this
were able to fight
what would jews do for hanukkah
after lights out what would happen
weeks b4
would go through garbage and find scraps of margarine
old container of shoe polish
would use a string from clothes as a wick
ppl were awake to watch rabbi light
story of rabbi an dnon relig jew
no rleig jew came to rabbi asked him why say shechanu since they’re in such a bad place
the rabbi replied he was thankful to HaShem to be in the moment surrounded by jews
