Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Eva Cigler - March 17, 1982

Arrival at Auschwitz-Birkenau

What happened when you arrived? When the train stopped.

When the train finally stopped and we look out and we see uh, that place, so many people already uh, was in that uh, place, how you called it? When we was looking we see some people uh, was working, old ones, young kids. So we was uh, thinking uh, really they took us some uh, labor camps and we're going to be together. But when we came down from the train, the people who was working in uh, Birkenau already--that train stopped in Birkenau...

Mm-hm.

and they said uh, to the mother, if they see it's a young one, give that child to the older one and the young one should stay together and the older one should uh, keep the younger children. So we was...

Who said this, the Jewish people?

Yeah, the Jewish people who was there already.

Prisoners.

Yes, the prisoners already in Auschwi...in uh, Birkenau. And uh, sure enough, they said stand five, five, everybody should uh, make a line with five people in a row. So with the five people uh, we--the uh, uh, the three older girl, my sister and me and the youngest one and uh, and two more girls stand with us and make the five line. And then my mother and the younger--the boy, my brother and the two younger girl were staying with mine uh, mother.


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