Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Written Task


Miss you, dad


5th of June, 1940



Dear Dad,

       Since you left, so many things had happen here. I’m not longer in home with my stepmother, neither with my mother. Instead, I'm in somewhere called “Auschwitz Birkenau”. We arrived, “we” because we are travelling in groups, yesterday, in train; and were checked by a doctor who decided if we were healthy to work. I’m glad I pass, because some guys didn't like Moskovics, a skinny little boy I met during the journey. You must be asking yourself how I get here, so now I’m telling you.

    I don’t remember if we were travelling since yesterday or an eternity, because for me it was the most uncomfortable journey of my life. This entire trip started like every other day, I was going to work, when suddenly, the bus stopped in middle of the highway. A police officer asked every Jewish boy to get off the bus. I met other boys and girls getting off other buses. We saw other children get off other buses too. We have been travelling for kilometres from Budapest, we passed the Hungarian frontier, and we arrived to a German station, or that’s what I think, because everybody in here speaks German.
     About “Auschwitz Birkenau”, is not bad, although there are some prisoners that only speak Yiddish. They are all shaved and wear striped clothes and round caps, and on their chests they had their convict number and a yellow triangle. I have been asking myself what they have done, what are they accused of. For the medical check, they get around to see who was accepted. We were separated from women and girls, as we were only boys and men at this side of the camp.
     I’m starting to miss you, I miss the shop, and I miss home, the school, my mother, even my stepmother. I miss my friends, my family, our neighbours, and specially Annamarie. I didn’t tell you, but I think I love her. One day, we decided to join, we were talking when a bomb exploded near us. And then we kissed, and that moment I realized I love her. But she doesn’t accept it; she states that everything was because of the bomb. Although, I miss her too.
    I’ve heard some rumours about other Hungarians; they say we are here because of our religion. I think they are wrong, because I don’t feel myself attached to any religion in particular, and I’m still here. It’s very interesting what I have realized this few days, I’m not part of the Jewish community, or I don’t feel myself like one of them. Maybe these reflections I’m revealing to you will make you feel mad or upset, but it’s what is happening to me. I realized this the day you left us. Uncle Lajos took me to pray for you, but I didn’t know how, moreover, I didn’t understand a word he said. This new reflections make me feel alone, because I don’t belong to any community right now, and here everyone, o0r most of people are Jewish people, they all pray or speak Yiddish, so I don’t understand anything. This feeling is very uncomfortable, I need to belong somewhere, but I don’t know were.
    Here at the camp, German soldiers are very kind, they gave us instructions, they make us pass through medical checking and offered us a job. I don’t know why they use guns; nobody in here is going to fight them. Maybe they use them to intimidate the prisoners, or to control the mob. Maybe, as there are so much people, they use them to identify themselves. They generate in me some feelings of security. I’m sure they will protect us if we are under any kind of danger. The only thing is weird in them is that they use a sort of arm band, is red and have an unknown sign for me. Every soldier and German in charge of this camp uses them. Maybe they accomplish the same function of their guns, to identify themselves.
    I want to know something about you, I haven’t heard any new about you since you left, and I want to know how are you, if you are healthy, if you are working, if you miss home, if you miss me, everything. After this “adventure” we should go to expend some time together. We haven’t made anything together since a long time ago. Maybe we could invite my stepmother, and probably I will know her better, so we have a better coexistence in home. I promise that when we arrive home, I will study some Hebrew to understand what we are praying. That’s all I wanted to tell you.
         

            Sincerely yours
                    Georg

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