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Emerich Grinbaum - October 3, 2000

All right. When the door is opened...

Okay, they already opened the door immediately, shouting "Aus,aus!" You know.

Was it night time, day time?

Day time, day time. We arrived in the morning.

What did you think?

I told you, we were looking through-the peeping out before thatand we saw people in their stripes working in Auschwitz. They have cleaningand something. So we still, we still thought you know, that we arrived somewhereto work, you know. Nobody wanted even, probably wanted but... I tell you,at that time we didn't think anything because we didn't have the strengthto think about it, you know. But I know that we were always optimist, alwaysoptimist that most of the people wanted to believe that they're taking usto work or something.

But, but-so that now the doors are open and you see more.

More.

And they dragged, they dragged you out.

More, more. Dragged. No, they dragged...

They forced you out.

Mostly the uh, other uh, uh, mostly Polish Jews uh, Häf...Häftlingand they uh, prisoners, we were there. They did their job. But there wereSS behind them. They were just shouting. And they put us, they separated immediately.Men, wo...women. So I told you, I was with my father and my brother, men.My mother with her sister and with two children. And children-most of thesmall children went with, with uh, with their mothers. They, they pushed themto-with the mother. Oh, one more. And we stand, we were waiting in the line,waiting for the, go through the selections for the, the, the uh, with Mengeleprobably, whoever it was. And they shouted, "Zwillingen" Zwillingen is twins."Aus, aus, Zwillingen." Because Mengele already collected people for the experiment.And you know-and a lot of people are, are friends and not only friends whoknew us. They, they thought that we are twins with my brother because we lookalike. We were one and a half years difference, almost the same size. Andthey thought that they're Zwillingen and they told us you know, go out becausemaybe it'll be better. So we didn't want to go out. First of all, we are nottwins. And secondly we didn't want to leave my father because-matter of fact,in the long run uh, what, beside uh, help of uh, God and luck, we survivedbecause we were together and they give us strength, especially my father,we were together.

So you think that saved your life at first.

First, because we were. You know, Mengele, with Mengele if yougo out with Mengele ninety-nine percent the experiments.