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Introduction to Brandlady.com |
I Lived Through an Unforgettable Hell
T his is as story of a family in Germany who were captured and sent to concentration camps as told to me by Ruth, who lived an unforgettable hell during those years. In 1983 Mother introduced me to her friends after I moved to Santa Barbara. Ruth was sitting under a hair dryer in “J” ’s beauty shop. Her story profoundly touched me, making a lasting impression. The cosmetologist combed her out as we conversed. I discovered she was a Holocaust survivor who had married a German Jew and immigrated to America. She asked if I would read her palm when she was finished. We walked outside and sat on a bench by the door. She recounted her life in Germany that had been lovely until the war broke out when she was fourteen years old. The nightmare that was her life lasted three terrible, prolonged years. “Hitler robbed me of my adolescence,” she cried. “Those dirty Nazis stole my youth, my health and they dehumanized me too. I’ve got nothing to show for those three years! Memories of my wasted girlhood in a God-forsaken concentration camp are traumas I know that I shall never get over.” She explained the anguish, torment, and inhuman treatment she endured. She related her two sisters and parents were sent to different camps while she was interred at the concentration camp, Auschwitz. When Ruth learned the fate of her parents and sisters in the ovens from a fellow inmate she was shattered, left an orphan. Eyes glistening, she continued, “Nothing is worse than losing your entire family! I survived those dreadful years by carrying a picture of them in my mind’s eye. I prayed for them... ‘May it be thy will, Lord our God and God of our fathers, to lead us in safety and direct our steps in safety; mayest thou bring us to our destination in life, happiness and peace. Deliver us from every enemy and danger on the road. May we obtain favor, kindness and love from thee and from all whom we meet. May the Lord bless you and protect you; may the Lord countenance you and be gracious to you; may the Lord favor you and grant you peace.’” Changing the subject, I began, “Your food allotment was minimal. How did you survive?” “We lived all day for the evening meal, the only time we were fed. Usually it was only a piece of stale bread and a tin can of weak vegetable soup. I never once saw so much as a vegetable in it,” she answered. Looking at her palm, I said, “You went to sleep hungry most of the time. You were raised a polite child and never pushed or shoved to get to the front of the line, to grab the food first.” “There were ways to supplement the rations. Some of the older German guards were nice men and took pity on the youngest children. They often smuggled bits and pieces of their food in to us. If they got caught their punishment would have been severe. They took chances like that a few times a week,“ she related. “They told us war was hell, not a fit place for school children.” I asked how she was able to live in such squalor, infested with lice, no soap and the absence of heavy clothing for protection during the harsh winter months. Shrugging her shoulders she recounted many did not live through the hardships imposed on them. “I am a very strong person. Watching the Germans snuff out the lives of so many Jewish citizens, I became hardened, however I have a recollection of a repulsive day, an episode that is burned in my memory. I was selected for the digging crew in the potato fields and it was awful, backbreaking, difficult, physical work all day long. I wasn’t used to doing that kind of work but I had no choice, I did it to stay alive. We were instructed to dig long rows for planting. One day my shovel dug into the soft soil when the earth moved. I jumped, not understanding what happened to make the soil move from the row where I was working. First a skinny arm protruded out of the dirt, then another. I stood mesmerized as I saw a leg roll out of the dirt pile and a weak man slid out of the ground. He was emaciated, near death, mud in his hair and eyes. The incident unnerved me and I threw up. A few minutes later I pulled the shriveled man up on all fours, constantly watching the fields behind me the entire time for the nasty guards. I motioned for him to follow me on his hands and knees but he was too weak, unable to move. I crawled, dragging him on my back to the barbed wire fence by a cluster of dense trees where I propped his thin body against a tree. His watery eyes pleaded, soundlessly begging me for death. I looked away silently as I recited the prayer for the dead.” ‘Yisgaddal v’ yiskaddash shmey rabboh,B’Olmoh dee v”roh chir-usey V’yamlich malchusey, B’cha-yeychon uvyo-meychon Uvcha-yey d’chol beys yisro-eyl, Ba-agoloh uvizman koreev V’imru. Omeyn.’ In English I prayed,‘Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation or the wicked, when it cometh. Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word and it shall not stand; for God is with us.’ He closed his dirt-filled eyes in peace. In that instant he was gone. I simply couldn’t cry. I was too drained,” she related. Softly, I said, “Ruth, you called on God many times to take your life. But I also see a strong will within you that would not give up.” Ruth replied, “I was raised an Orthodox Jew and so I called upon my religious upbringing and my inner strength to live through the ordeal. After the war ended I lived in a cramped one bedroom apartment in Austria with two young Jewish women, the only other teenage survivors from my camp. It was there I met John, an extremely kind German Jew. He brought me gorgeous flowers with huge boxes of candy every Sunday and I was finally able to relax. John encouraged me to eat wholesome food and to sleep long hours. During that year we fell deeply in love. He asked me to make his life complete by marrying him. His proposal was bittersweet. I was distressed. I had no family to invite to the ceremony. My roommates told me not to worry, they said they’d take care of everything. The girls invited the members of their families and friends who survived the camps, made my exquisite wedding gown, arranged for the flowers and organized the food. Our beautiful diminutive nuptials took place in June on a Saturday evening, after sundown where the Rabbi said a few words. Everyone yelled 'Mazel Tov' and applauded. It was a moving ceremony, with lively music, dancing and flowing wine.” “I know you were a stunning bride,” I announced. “I shall always cherish those precious memories. Even though my family was absent, I believe in my heart they were present with us on that day,” she said, tears in her eyes. “From your hand, I see your soul mate John took you on an adventure as you traveled to America. He was hopeful for a fresh beginning for a new life together and knew the opportunities would be greater for both of you here,” I offered. “You are absolutely right,” she beamed. “I most sincerely want to thank you from the bottom of my heart to permit me to voice my memories and also for your kindness in taking the time to read my palm.” 
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