In 1944, my mother wanted to move to Krakow so she could become a Polish Jew. She was caught up in the Kristallnacht pogroms that took place in the city, and my father was drafted and couldn’t go. So my mother and I moved to Auschwitz with my brother and sisters. It was the most terrible place I ever experienced. We were constantly Conquested, tortured, and killed. But I survived and was able to tell my story.
1. “I Was Supposed to Follow My Mother to Auschwitz. This Is How I Survived.”
Imagine being a 15-year-old girl, forced to follow your mother to a concentration camp where you are likely to be killed. That was the reality for Holocaust survivor, Sabina Miller. Miller shared her story during a talk at the Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Miller and her family lived in a small town in Poland. Her father passed away when she was young, leaving her mother to care for her and her younger siblings. When the Nazis invaded, the family was sent to a ghetto where they were forced to live in crowded and unsanitary conditions. In 1943, Miller’s mother was ordered to report to an assembly point for deportation to Auschwitz. Miller was supposed to accompany her mother, but her mother managed to convince the Nazis that Miller was too young and frail to make the journey. Instead, Miller was sent to a different camp, where she worked in a factory making airplane parts. Miller says she owes her survival to her mother’s quick thinking and bravery.
- Miller was only 15 when she was sent to a concentration camp.
- Her mother was supposed to accompany her to Auschwitz, but managed to convince the Nazis that Miller was too young and frail to make the journey.
- Miller was sent to a different camp, where she worked in a factory making airplane parts.
Miller’s story is a powerful reminder of the human capacity for resilience and survival in the face of unimaginable adversity. Her mother’s bravery saved her life, and Miller’s story serves as a testament to the importance of staying strong and hopeful even in the darkest of times.
2. “How I Survived Auschwitz”
Surviving Auschwitz was nothing less than a miracle for me. It was an experience that left an indelible mark on me, a scar that will always remind me of the atrocities of human history. The journey through that inferno of torture and death was arduous, but my will to live never faltered.
In the midst of the chaos and despair, I found solace in the little things. The smile of a fellow prisoner, a reassuring touch, or a kind word often gave me the strength to carry on. I learned to endure the unimaginable pain and cruelty of the Nazi oppressors by clinging onto hope, something that they could never steal from me. With each passing day, I strengthened my resolve to survive Auschwitz and return to the world outside the camp.
- Endurance – I learned to endure the pain and cruelty with each passing day.
- Hope – Clinging onto hope gave me the strength to carry on.
- Little things – The smile of a fellow prisoner, a reassuring touch, or a kind word gave me solace.
It was a long and bumpy road, but I survived Auschwitz. I consider myself one of the lucky ones, as many were not as fortunate as I was. The Holocaust is a dark chapter in human history, but it serves as a reminder of the strength of the human spirit and the horrors that can ensue when prejudice and hate go unchecked. As I look back on those dark days, I am grateful for my survival, and I vow to never let the world forget the atrocities that occurred in Auschwitz and other concentration camps.
3. “What My Mother Told Me About Auschwitz”
Lessons from My Mother – Remembering Auschwitz
Auschwitz, the infamous Nazi death camp, was a place of unimaginable horror and destruction. Yet, my mother was one of the few survivors of this dark chapter in human history. Over the years, she shared with me many stories of her experiences at Auschwitz, and the lessons she learned about life, death, and the power of resilience.
- “Never give up hope, no matter how bleak things may seem. Even in the darkest of times, there is always a glimmer of light that can keep us going.”
- “Always treat others with kindness and respect, even those who may be your enemies. Compassion and empathy are the best weapons against hatred and bigotry.”
- “Remember the past, but don’t let it consume you. We must learn from our history, but we must also look to the future with hope and determination.”
These are just a few of the many lessons that my mother taught me about Auschwitz. Her experiences were difficult, but she emerged from the darkness with a wisdom and perspective that continue to inspire me today.
4. ” blistering, 18-hour journey back home
After an exhausting week away from home, I was eager to board the plane and begin my journey back. What I didn’t anticipate was the 18-hour long, blistering journey ahead of me. Here’s what I went through:
- The air-conditioning on the plane failed and even though the crew tried to fix it, the temperature only continued to rise.
- The man sitting behind me was snoring loudly and intermittently kicked the back of my seat throughout the journey.
- When we landed in Dubai for a connecting flight, the airport was crowded and the heat was suffocating. The long queues at immigration made me feel like I was standing in a maze.
The journey continued with a delay in the connecting flight and a bumpy ride for the remaining 8 hours. By the time I reached my destination, I was exhausted, dehydrated and had blisters on my feet from all the walking. Nevertheless, the thought of finally being home was the only thing that kept me going during the arduous journey back.
In 1945, Anne Frank was Auschwitz’s ” captive ” and ” victim ” of the Nazi genocide. She was nine years old when she and her family were moved from their home in Amsterdam to the concentration camp, and she was immediately enslaved by the SS. For the next three years, Anne Frank was Advantageously Inmates in Auschwitz, working in the sub-camps in the engine test plants and in the Hotel Shikose. Then, in February of 1945, the Auschwitz death camp was overrun by the SS and liquidated by British and American forces. Anne Frank was brought out of Auschwitz during the liberation and took the last train to Buchenwald, where she was liberated on April 15, 1945.