I was born in Austria. I had lived a normal life, apprenticed to the tailor of the town and eating three square meals a day. But then the Nazis invaded. They forced the people of the town into a ghetto. Then, the deportations began. My family and I were among the first to be deported. We were loaded by the hundreds into a tiny train car, and a bucket for human waste was thrown in. Are we human beings, or are we animals?, I remember thinking.
Soon we arrived at Auschwitz extermination camp. There, the Nazis were killing - no, tortuously killing – my people. The crimes committed there are beyond description. We, human beings, were being treated as no more than trash to be disposed of as quickly as possible. I myself witnessed my family and friends brutally murdered. The head doctor pulled me and a couple others aside. He ordered us to get on another train to work for the Nazis.
THE STORY OF
AKIBA KLEIN
by S. Doak
**Note: This is a work of fiction, although it is based on real life accounts.
7
friends brutally murdered. The head doctor pulled me and a couple others aside. He ordered us to get on another train to work for the Nazis.
After another train ride, we arrived at Buchenwald forced labor camp. There was another selection there - where the Nazis weeded out the weaklings and sent them to be
killed. The rest of us they assigned to blocks and gave us various jobs. It was my job to tend to the fields. I saw a man steal food from a rabbit one day. He was beaten within an inch of his life. I still cannot believe that this rabbit was of more value to the Nazis than a human being. They held a selection every week. Many were weeded out and exterminated. In the camp, we were treated like no more than machines. We were fed only enough to survive and do our work. We were given only minimal clothing and blankets. We were crammed like cattle onto shelves. I wanted to die, to be done with this miserable life. I had lost track of how long I was there, in this state of near-death., but then the rumors began.
The rumors had said that the Red Army had arrived. We occasionally heard the shot of a cannon; the explosion of a bomb. Chatter was building up. We were about to be free! But then, an American bombing happened, destroying much of the camp. Many died, Jews and Nazis alike. The Nazis, fearing our liberation, began emergency evacuations to deep Germany, where the Soviets could not touch us. We were forced to march; march to the trains, march through the snow. Many died. I wanted to, I wanted to die, to be spared the horrible death by the Nazis. But God would not let me have that privilege. He forced me on. Soon, we were rescued by the Soviets, saved from death.
Today I live in America. There, I have learned what the American dream means. It means that if you work hard, you can achieve anything. I am a retired millionaire, and cannot believe that I wanted to die all those years ago. I learned that even when it seems things cannot get better, they can. Life is always still worth living.
"We, human beings, were being treated as trash to be disposed of as quickly as possible."
that this rabbit was of more value to the Nazis than a human being.
There was a selection held every week. Many were weeded out and exterminated. While in the camp, we were treated like no more than machines. We were fed only enough to survive and do our work. We were given only minimal clothing and blankets. We were crammed like cattle onto shelves. I wanted to die, to be done with this miserable life. I had lost track of how long I was there, in this state of near-death, but then the rumors began.
The rumors had said that the Red Army had arrived. We occasionally heard the shot of a cannon; the explosion of a bomb. Chatter was building up. We were about to be free! But then, an American bombing happened, destroying much of the camp. Many died, Jews and Nazis alike. The Nazis, fearing our liberation, began emergency evacuations to deep Germany, where the Soviets could not touch us. We were forced to march; march to the trains, march through the snow. Many died. I wanted to, I wanted to die, to be spared the horrible death by the Nazis. But God would not let me have that privilege. He forced me on. Soon, we were rescued by the Soviets, saved from death.
Today I live in America. There, I have learned what the American dream means. It means that if you work hard, you can achieve anything. I am a retired millionaire, and cannot believe that I wanted to die all those years ago. I learned that even when it seems things cannot get better, they can. Life is always still worth living.
"Are we human beings, or are we animals?, I remember thinking."