Adara's Diary

1944

March 18, 1944

Dear Journal,

The winter was horrible I saw some people get frostbite and literally break off their toes. Over the winter Flora and Bekah lost weight as well as I. The rations here are pathetic Auschwitz as I know this place is called is truly 100% hell on earth, we hear cries all the time. Gunshots and screams and cries of the victims in the gas chamber as our barracks are right next to it. Over the winter while us three have been outside the barracks watching women, elderly and children walk to their deaths. Yesterday we sat there like usually when one women asked "Where are they taken us?" we said nothing just stared it is better that they don't know their fate. Sometimes in the barracks we fall asleep and wake up and neighbors in our bunk are dead. 

Today I woke up at 4:30 like usually with Bekah and Flora food, roll call and we went off to the shop to work. Janina and the other girls we there and started working. A couple hours went by and we went to evening roll call with Janina. We lined up and were silent Sara also was beside Janina when she collapsed. Janina looked at me and said "Help me get her up" I went over and lifted Sara up she was dazed when an S.S guard came over and looked Sara up and down. Another guard was behind him I recognized the guard as Gunther who was pretty brutal. He said to his henchman "What shall we do with her?" the other remarked "send her to the infirmary" Gunther shook his head and chuckled "No we shall kill her" Janina stepped forward and quickly "No Sir please she is a good worker we need good workers." He then smacked Janina down and pulled his pistol out and shot Sara in the head. She dropped to the ground and laid lifeless. Tears burned in my eyes Bekah was leaning and I grabbed her to prevent her from falling. Janina still stood on the ground and Gunther said out loud "Let this be a warning to all of you. Do not try to undermine me. There is only one thing coming to you all death. Then he shot Janina. We eventually dismissed and taken to the barracks "if only she shut up" a girl said below us "She was standing up for a friend I don't blame her" Bekah shouted at the women she said nothing and we fell asleep.

April 30, 1944 

Dear Journal,

We were summoned forward during roll call and taken towards the trains the kapo did not say much. "Where are they taken us" Flora asked me the kapo finally spoke "Your being transferred to another camp. Consider this a blessing Auschwitz is hell." I nodded I felt happy but also scared what would await us at this new camp?

We were put on the train at night. Again with no food, water just a bucket for a bathroom. Flora, Bekah and I huddled in a corner another few prisoners were huddled on the other side. We talked "What do you think the new camp will be like Adie" Bekah asked me. "Hopefully better than Auschwitz" I said Flora said nothing. I focused on the movements of the car and I looked out into the Polish countryside. Trees and little farms passed a few farmers looked on to the train passing. We sat in the corner and I drifted in and out of sleep. Into dreaming I went and then woke the second day, the day was long but finally arrived late in the afternoon. Again the cattle door was ripped open men yelling "out out quickly". German Shepherds barking. We huddled together and a women directed us to a building we women like us sitting at sewing machines. A kapo guard walking back and forth in the aisles making sure they were "working productively"  one women was sitting at the machine her material got stuck the kapo went over and hit her on the shoulder with his whip "work faster" he shouted. All three of us were taken to three machines and we began work on the Weimarcht uniforms. Sewing the seams and such. We then went to get dinner and we received stale  bread, watery soup and some type of tea or coffee. There we searched out for anybody to give us information were we were. One girl stepped forward "You three are new" she stated "Yes, may I ask were are we?". She blinked "You are in a labor camp its small mostly made up of women. Most do sewing and other such stuff we are near the Polish-German border." Bekah sighed "Are things generally okay here?" she hesitated "work is hard, there is no gas chamber but the guards are still happy to shot anyone this dislike or ins't working fast enough."