Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Abraham Mondry - June 15, 22, 29 & July 13, 1992

Auschwitz--First Three Months II

Did you know about Monowitz?

Who?

Monowitz?

Monowitz?

Yeah. The factory?

Who?

The factory at Auschwitz, I.G. Farben factory.

Oh, Farben. Oh, you mean the, the place, used to make the, the ammunition, yeah.

And rubber.

Yeah, yeah. A woman I know used to work there.

You didn't work there. When did you begin to work with Mengele?

After they pick us up. They pick us up after, you know and they make it a school, like teach us how to build, to build, you know, make a brick, like. Young, young guys like me. Yeah, we used to have him, we used to stay in camp. We didn't go to work. They used to teach there on the ceiling, on the attic you know. We used to have the, we used to take bricks and put them in cement here, build. They teached us, you know.

So you were a brick layer?

Yeah, they used to call it Mörtelschul, Mörtelschul, Mörtelmeister, building.

Do you remember the chimneys, at Birkenau? Could you see the chimneys at Birkenau?

No, we couldn't see it, but we could smell flesh burning, smell it for miles. The cremetoria, you could smell.

Did you know that's what it was?

Sure we know it.


© Board of Regents University of Michigan-Dearborn