The Lightmaker of Auschwitz: A WW2 Historical Page-Turner Based on the True Story of a Holocaust Survivor by Naphtali Brezniak

Author:Naphtali Brezniak [Brezniak, Naphtali]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-12-17T00:00:00+00:00

My Last Actzia

After the fourth actzia we decided, Zeev and I, to build a bunker in the house yard. We wanted to build a cover or hiding place in which we could survive for some time. The rumors about the death camps multiplied, and it was obvious to us that whoever was caught would end up in Treblinka.

The most suitable location for a bunker was beneath a wooden structure that served for wood storage, whose entrance was planned to be through the out-house toilet in the yard, a short distance from it. We dug for a month, all the young members of the family, beneath the wood-storage shed and the toilet. The work had to be done secretly. We feared informers most of all. The pales filled with sand that we dispersed at night in locations distant from the house to avoid leaving a trail. We were certain that we were not the only ones doing this, due to the stains of fresh dirt that was spread around the area. The Germans – either they didn’t know or they ignored the facts.

When the digging was complete, we wanted to re-enforce the bunker. We looked for a professional, and after several days we hired the services of one of the Jewish carpenters from the ghetto. We smuggled wood beams that he needed to stabilize the bunker ceiling and walls. The work was completed one month later. The bunker was ready.

***

“More than likely there will be an actzia tomorrow”, Zeev said on the First of May, 1943, when he returned from work. “There are unusual activities by the army and police in the vicinity of the city”, he added, “Something is about to happen.”

As I have said, the city of Mezritch is alongside the main road to the Russian border. Army traffic in both directions

was common. But the traffic that Zeev saw, in his words, was really different. Not only was the army involved, but the Gestapo too.14

Next morning, on the second of May, the actzia began. As soon as we heard the first sounds we decided to enter the bunker.

Entry into the bunker was hasty and my uncle, who was the last to enter, locked the house door and did not take the key with him, a mistake that we didn’t stop talking about. We were worried about going out to bring the key because we did not want to be discovered.

We were twelve souls crammed into the crowded space, including the Shainberg family, the Lynn family, the tailor’s family from Nasielsk, my brother and I. The tailor decided to leave his two year old baby and not bring him into the bunker for fear that his crying would give us away. Despite the crowding and lack of ability to move in the narrow space, we managed to press together and maintain complete silence.

The bunker was not sealed and we could hear the voices of German soldiers and policeman looking for and actually finding our neighbors in the nearby houses. And then our turn came.

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