Module 2 –
A “War Within a War”: The Holocaust

Artefact: Ukrainian Einsatzgruppen Notice.

Translation: “The eviction of Jews is taking place in our district today. As has been repeatedly announced, it is strictly forbidden to hide Jews or in any way hinder the execution of the eviction campaign. Any such opposition to the orders and steps taken by the Commission of Eviction will be severely punished. Anyone caught robbing will be shot! Any acquisition or possession of Jewish property is prohibited.”
Signed: “Governor of the Galician
Region. Commander of the SS 1
Police. Signed Katzmann. SS
Brigade Commander”

Source: Darrell English Collection.

Location: Ukraine.

Date: 1941-1945.

Physical Description: Paper, Ink. 38cm X 28cm

Artefact Description: This notice would have been similar to the notices posted in Kosice, which Max would have seen. The Einsatzgruppen were mobile killing units best known for their role in the mass shooting of Jews.

Max’s Memory: “Within a week of our arrival, posted notices began to appear, directing the Jewish inhabitants on several streets to gather their belongings and walk to a brickyard on the outskirts of the city. […] Those affected needed to be there on the day designated on the order; disobedience would result in harsh punishment” (By Chance Alone, page 62)

Artefact: Auschwitz Tattoo.

Source: OPC Films.

Location: Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, Nazi-occupied Poland.

Date: 1944.

Physical Description: Max’s prisoner number was A-9892.

Artefact Description: Tattooing prisoner numbers began in Auschwitz in October 1941. Max’s number began with an “A” which marked the start of a new number series to deal with the huge influx of prisoners arriving in Auschwitz.

Max’s Memory: “Tables were set up in front of our barracks, and two men sat at each one. They ordered us to come to the table nearest us in single file. Again, my father went first, I was next, and my uncle was last. The first man asked my name, my place and date of birth, what languages I spoke, my height and weight, and the colour of my hair. The next man tattooed a number on my left arm: A-9892. My father’s number was A-9891 and my uncle’s was A-9893. Wherever we went, I was between them; they were my guardian angels.” (By Chance Alone, page 74)

Artefact: Prisoner Uniform Shoes.

Source: Darrell English Collection.

Location: Ohrdruf Concentration Camp, Germany.

Date: 1940-1945.

Physical Description: Wood, Canvas, Leather, Metal.

Artefact Description: These prisoner uniform shoes are from the Ohrdruf concentration camp and would have been very similar to the ones prisoners were forced to wear in Auschwitz. They were not designed to be practical or comfortable for prisoners. Ohdruf was the first concentration camp to be liberated by American forces – and it is possible that an American soldier took these shoes back to America, and that is how they were preserved as an artefact.

Max’s Memory: “When we went to sleep, we only took off our boots. I used mine as a pillow, tying the shoelaces to my wrist so people would not be able to steal them from me in the night.” (By Chance Alone, page 90)

Artefact: Selection List for Medical Experimentation.

Source: Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum Archive.

Location: Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, Nazi-occupied Poland.

Date: July 1944.

Physical Description: Paper, Ink.

Max’s Memory: “The SS initiated a wave of selections in Auschwitz I in early July 1944. Simply hearing the word selection sent fear through me […] I knew that selection meant certain death […] One night, we were abruptly awakened from our sleep. SS guards and Kapos were yelling, “Raus! Selection! Leave your clothes in your bunk and get down to the ground floor” […] The next day, I ran to their [father’s and uncle’s] barracks, but they were not there […] I tried to convince myself that they had just been selected to join another work camp. I hoped for the best, but inside I knew that I was lying to myself. When I returned from my work that evening […] I ran to a fenced-off holding area where the SS kept the selected prisoners until they were ready to transport them to Birkenau to be gassed […] I called the names of my father and uncle. Within seconds, they came to meet me at the barbed-wire fence. I was so happy to see them, but at the same time, I knew these were likely our last moments together. I didn’t have any words. I couldn’t express a single word of consolation or hope.” (By Chance Alone, page 107-108)

Artefact: Photographs of Dr. Tadeusz Orzeszko.

Source: POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews.

Location: Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, Nazi-occupied Poland.

Date: July 29, 1943.

Physical Description: Paper, ink.

Artefact Description: A photo of Dr. Tadeusz Orzeszko, taken on his incarceration at Auschwitz I.

Max’s Memory: [Max had been operated on after a severe beating and was not well enough to return to work. He was placed on a stretcher on the steps of the hospital to be taken to the gas chambers and crematoria]. “The chief surgeon, Dr. Orzeszko, was standing in the main hallway when we appeared. He was a tall, well-muscled man, with short blond hair and steel-blue eyes. He had an aura of calm confidence about him. When he saw me, he stopped the stretcher-bearers, helped me get up, and took my identification tag. He then led me to the prep room of the surgery, where he gave me a lab coat and told me that I would now do the cleaning and other duties required for the efficient running of the operating theatre.” (By Chance Alone, page 119-120)

Artefact: Stretcher from Auschwitz Camp Hospital.

Source: Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial & Museum Collections.

Location: Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, Nazi-occupied Poland.

Date: 1940-1945.

Physical Description: Metal, wood and canvas.

Artefact Description: Stretcher from the camp hospital.

Max’s Memory: “I also owed my life to Dr. Orzeszko, who not only operated on my wound but also took me off the stretcher before I was sent to the gas chambers in Birkenau.” (By Chance Alone, page 137)