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updated: February, 7 2006 9:46 |
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On our way out There was going to be a transport. There was a list of people, who were to join it. The rumor had it, that we were going to get bread on the train. We had not tasted this delicacy for a long time. Anyhow, the past week had been Pesach, so the Germans, very sensitive about our religious feelings and our spiritual well-being, had taken care, not to lead us in temptation. But we had different ideas about it and sang, as a parody to an army-song: "In der Heimat, dort ist kein Fressen mehr!" Father: "You are on the list with the children!" Mother: "We are on the list, but we are not going!" Father: "No, you are yes going on this train!" Mother: "No, you are not on the list, your name was not called!" Father: "But you and the children are on the list!" Mother: "Yes, but we are not going. We are going nowhere without you!" Father: "That's right! Although I am not on the list, I am coming, too!" My father knew, that the most important thing was, to get out of the camp and Hashem would help us further. And given the chance, it had to be seized urgently. Actually, he was proved right. Nearly everyone, who could, joined this transport. We had to make the trek to Celle on foot. Next day, another transport departed, but had to be taken by truck to the station. They were left without provisions and were locked in that train for over a week, until they were liberated in Tröbits, by the Russian army, who just left them to their own resources. The third category, who were left at the camp, could not even get out of bed to greet the Allies, who liberated the camp, shortly afterwards. The day of the transport was Shabbos, two days after Pesach. We had to assemble at the gate and wait there for a long time. I always remembered the mound of kohlrabi, that was lying next to the gate. Many years later, I asked Rivqa about it. How could it be, that in a camp, where we were starved skeletons, a mound of kohlrabi was lying around? She remembered it too and said only: "That was not kohlrabi!" A year before, when someone died, and that was not a rare occasion, he was put inside the small morgue, next to the gate. A horse-drawn buggy used to come and collect the coffin, which was returned empty. The destination was the local crematorium. Much later, the corpses were hoisted on to the buggy, without bothering to cover them. The morgue became too small for the daily crop and they were stacked outside. One night the crematorium was bombed by mistake. That explains the mound of "kohlrabi", that I would rather remember, than the actual sight, that was too gruesome for a little boy. While we were waiting, Rivqa remembered the Palestine plate. It was a tin plate, but had accompanied her from Palestine, even to the camp. My mother permitted her to run back and fetch it. She reported, that the people, who remained, were already searching for booty and ransacking the possessions, that were left behind. There was a grim joke in Bergen-Belsen: "There's one way into the camp: through the gate! There are two ways out of the camp, through the gate or through the chimney of the crematorium." Most went the second way, but we had made it through the gate! As we passed the main gate and under the lifted beam, my father said: "That's it! We've made it!" The trip on foot from Bergen-Belsen to Celle must be about 30 km. (That's what it seemed, but actually it was 4 km!) We were carrying only a marked blanket, rolled up and tied, across our backs. Also a pouch with a knife, for bread, in case we would get it. Now it contained only the knife. Some people lugged their "treasures" for which they had no strength and they had to abandon them en route. Some people collapsed. I was not paying attention to what was happening, until my father, at whose side I walked, said: "Don't look around, look ahead. Don't look at the guard!" So, of course, I glimpsed to my right and noticed the nearest soldier, who was accompanying us, who had stopped and was waiting for something. So I did not look around and soon we had advanced ahead. Then I heard a report and the soldier resumed his place to our right, putting his pistol back into its holster. We arrived late at night, but were not allowed to board the train. We just lay down on the platform. In the middle of the night we were roused: "Schnell, aber los!" to board the train. Everyone was pushing and shoving and pandemonium reigned. As Channa was boarding the train, she lost a shoe. There was no way to look for it. It was more important to be safely on the train and not on the platform at the Germans' mercy. The next morning the train had not yet moved. Channa had to relieve herself and was accompanied onto the platform. And what was waiting for her, sitting there right at the door? Her shoe! to top | |||||||||||||
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On the train We actually did receive bread on the train, once for sure, maybe twice. The train stopped from time to time and then people could jump off and relieve themselves. Sometimes there was food in the fields and we found some beets. We ate a big slice of raw beet on a thin slice of bread. The bread was not sufficient to dampen the sharpness of the beets, that were not for human consumption and burned my throat. Once we received also canned meat. Apparently the Germans slaughtered their live- stock, to avoid it from falling in the hands of the advancing enemy. Ever since, I was just crazy about any kind of meat, but specially canned meat with cold jellied gravy. Only recently, I started a "naturalist" diet and lost my craving for this kind of food. I remember three main railway stations, which we passed on the way: Uelzen, Salzwedel and Stendal. We saw that the Germans were even burning new motorcars, that had arrived on flatbed cars for fear of them falling in enemy hands. On the way a car with A.A. guns was attached to the train and we were attacked several times by Allied planes, that took ours for a military transport. People threw themselves under the benches, but my father told us to stay at the windows and wave at the pilots. There were two passenger carriages on the train and though nearly all were in cattle wagons, we were always privileged to ride in passenger accomodation. Only on our way back to Amsterdam, we rode in cattle cars. to top The liberation was in the train on friday April 13, 1945 after the Germans had abandoned the train near the station Farsleben 16 km. from Magdeburg by the 9th US Army.(as it says on the certificate), These soldiers were amazed at finding such living skeletons being herded around like, no even worse than, so many cattle. The first thing, that they decided to do, was to provide us with food and brought us warm food at the train. Then they requisitioned all the food, which they found in a nearby village and distributed it to us. We had to line up and each received something, mostly canned food. The children were free to come and get it, without having to stand in line. The grim irony of it was, that they had no idea of Rabbi Tzadok's remedy. This great sage, who lived two thousand years ago, fasted for forty years, and prayed, that the Holy Temple be spared. After this they fed him one day water, in which bran had been soaked, next day more coarse bran and flour, the third day flour and so on, till his digestive system could accommodate more normal food. (Tractate Gittin 56b). But these soldiers had not studied Talmud and were only concerned with feeding those skeletons. So people, who for months had not tasted normal food, started eating heavy and fatty foods, that made many victims. As we walked back to the train, that had become our pied-a-terre, we met real combat cars a.k.a. tanks. The crew threw cigarettes to Pappy. He used to smoke some local concoction, wrapped in pieces of news-paper, like everyone in camp, who was lucky enough to acquire it. But when he tried to smoke a real cigarette, made from real tobacco, his body rebelled and he had to excuse himself in the ditch. We were then taken to Hillersleben, which was a proving ground for fieldguns. First, we were housed in a huge office building. It was a German army officers training school. Pappy was suffering from dysentery and was all the time in bed. One day, after he had eaten his soup, Pappy told Mammy to start eating. "No, you need it, you are not well!" After some arguing, Pappy held the plate and challenged her: "Are you taking it?" and when she refused, the plate hit the floor and broke, with the soup spilling all over. With this, my father had announced a new era, of post-war values. He was no more a person without authority and dignity, who had to be saved from starvation, but now he was the authority in the family. Also, food was no more the first and only value in life. to top In hospital Since I was too weak to look after myself, Binyomin was appointed to be my bodyguard, and he promised to hold on to me at all cost. Once we were coming from the park and had to cross a ditch on a narrow bridge, not more
One day, when the children returned from a long walk and my mother did not see me with them, she asked where I was. They didn't know. They said, that I had not come with them. Since I could hardly walk, due to the privations of the camp and my recent illness, my mother started to search the house. And soon I was found in the bedroom, where I had been playing for hours with a construction set. It shows already my technical mind,
On a memorial stone erected there it says:
Glossary
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(to be continued) Look for the next installment! For the moment, there's none! Back |
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| THE DITCH sixty years later During these sixty years safety bars have been added. Since the russian army left, there has been no gardener taking care of the brush, nor cutting the grass. BACK the story behind the pictures. Mr Sloothaak was doing research about Hillersleben. He searched the Web and landed on my site. He contacted me. When he went to visit Hillersleben with Ms. Meyer, they looked for the landmarks in my description: the ditch and the clock. Mr Sloothaak located the only house from which one could look at the clock. They photographed their findings and had the kindness to mail them to me. |
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THE CHURCH sixty years later according to Mr. Sloothaak, the church is in Hillersleben. BACK |
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