Hermina Vlasopolos - April 9, 1984
Auschwitz I
We weren't able to wash for days the washrooms were always locked. Sometimes when the Nazi pigs were bored and wanted to have fun they opened the washrooms and gave us permission to wash. Very generously even gave us some soap. When we frantically heavily covered with lather they locked the pipes and we were standing there unable to rinse the dirty lather off. Only their amused laughter made us aware that that was a joke. The soaps they had given us were very light nicely scented and had three letters engraved. RJF. Later on this was explained to us the meaning of those letters. Reine Jidishes Fat. Pure Jewish fat. It was then that I understood the monstrosity of their torturous mind and their courage and generosity. The nights were freezing cold, the sunny days were burning hot. It rained almost daily and when it rained it was also very windy. So we were always wet and cold with, cold with dirty muddy feet. Inside the shed we could never dry out because long strips of rain came through the roof. We were counted twice a day. For the first half count they used to wake us up at two a.m. in the morning without reason. In the nights they supervised us with work again, they pretended that one of us was missing and in order to amuse themselves they punished us. Once for instance they had us kneel from seven o'clock at night until eleven a.m. next morning. No description could render the torture we went through, how painful and how debilitating it was. The night was cold and it was raining again. A thousand women were kneeling in the mud under a sky that seemed to play along with the Germans because it was pouring its anger over us. By morning a lot of more bodies were lying in the red clay, but not Eva. She was protecting her baby to be without the complaint, without a sigh or a moan. One night she went, she went into labor. There wasn't a doctor or a nurse among us. It was pitch dark in the shed. Had, had we turned the lights on the guard would have shot at us. In the middle of the shed there was a brick stoop and Eva was lying there on one of our dirty blankets. Our dilated eyes tried to penetrate the darkness but our bodies were trembling with fear for her. By dawn she was so weak that she lost conscience. It was a Sunday morning, and on Sundays the head count was taken only once at eleven o'clock a.m. It was less strict than other days, than on other days. We drug the unconscious woman outside and held her in line to be counted. As soon as the Nazi supervisor left, she was taken inside by the nurse and the doctor. They took her back before the signal to disperse was given.
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