Saul Raimi - July 7, 1982
Conditions in Auschwitz III
On the first morning, it was about five-thirty, you had to go down and wash yourself in cold water. And then stand in line for coffee and that slice of bread, which you got. And that was everything you had to eat in minutes. Every minute was a thought you had to do this, eat so many minutes, drink your coffee--right away you had to go down to the roll call because they didn't give you too much time. Everything was done and in the meantime you had to make your bed according to the specification of the uh, uh, the camp organization or the barracks association.
Yes.
And that was something which you had to pay real attention because you knew if you didn't do it that ??? that it could cost you your life, you know. So, between making uh, your bed, going down to wash, coming up to stand in the line for the miserable coffee, you know, and that slice of bread, you know, you didn't have too much time because they figured it out everything should be on the run.
[interruption in interview]
You play it back for me?
Yeah.
Uh, later.
Oh, yes, if you like, sure. Uh, so you were saying that uh, uh, everything was done on the run?
Oh yeah. "Raus," German called it, "Raus, raus" Everything on the run. I mean, on the double.
Uh, and then after breakfast there was some sort of work detail or...
Yeah, we had to go down to roll call. That was an ordeal by itself. And then you were put out according to the barracks. Each with that uh, that Blockältester with that, that barrack, all of them, I mean, leader. And then a German SS, he had the ??? barrack under him and you had to be counted, five he'd pick with five in a row and he counted every five, five.
Mm-hm.
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