Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Eva Cigler - March 17, 1982

Conditions in Bergen-Belsen

Another barrack in Bergen-Belsen.

In Bergen-Belsen. I don't know they called it Bergen or Bergen-Belsen because when they liberate us then we went to Bergen-Belsen. So that's was close together. I don't know it was Bergen or Bergen-Belsen. Or you say it together, Bergen-Belsen.

I don't know.

Uh, there wasn't--about a hour and a half if they uh, put us in a, a truck.

Oh, to travel to Bergen.

Yeah, Bergen. Uh, that camp uh, we know it's something going to happen in that camp because that was already, we see, there was a crematorium too.

Mm-hm.

But we didn't work. The men was uh, bringing the dead one. And uh, we was next to the men's barrack. That our barrack was next to the men. And the men just was skin and bones. Not like in Auschwitz, you have the three meals when you working. Here you had--but just almost just like a little hot water, the soup you get.

What do you mean you had three meals at Auschwitz?

Auschwitz when you was working you have uh, what kinda meal, not much meal but uh, still we eat. They was giving us a piece of bread...

Mm-hm.

in the morning some tea and a little butter or a potatoes and then you went out to the work.

Mm-hm.

And when you was working if you can't come back to the camp you have the soup because they was cooking the soup there. Then at least you have a really hot uh, stuff in your stomach. And in night you come back and again get the piece of bread and a little cheese with that and that was your uh, supper and a glass of uh, tea. But here in Bergen-Belsen

You didn't get

didn't get that. And we know already this is a worst camp. We was figuring we going to come to a different kind of camp, it's going to be better. And that camp we were staying there about a month with uh, no work. So we have to uh, they call stealing organizing. So we see outside but there was the SS already standing there in a really...

Tower.

tower. And we see a big bunk of uh, like they give it to the pig to feed, uh...


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