Thread by @EthanBearman

It’s #HolocaustRemembranceDay today. I’ve met a number of Holocaust survivors over the years & there are not many left.

I was recently gifted the opportunity to meet/listen to David Wiener, originally from Łódź Poland survivor of both the Warsaw Ghetto and Auschwitz, speak.

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I didn’t record him as few would understand his accent, but I took notes and received his permission to publish.

These are his thoughts as he spoke, some of which I’d never heard before and were shocking.

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This matters as much now as it did in 1944.

Please share this thread so his memory will not be lost.

“No one believed they would kill us.”

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My father said “God will protect us.” Unfortunately my father died of starvation.

They burned the synagogue down.

“Mama, I want to run away.” She said don’t forget who you are or what you are.

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While freezing in the Warsaw Ghetto, “God please kill me. Please kill me now.”

Nobody helped us.

America knew what was going on, they didn’t care.

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There were 7 or 8 of us Jewish guys 14-15 years old sent on railroad – A Polish guy walked up and punched one of us, knocking him down.

The Polish people were happy we were getting killed.

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Guard in camp: anyone want to fight my dog? For a piece of bread. A big Doberman. I wanted the bread so I fought the dog. I put my fist inside his mouth to stop him from biting.

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Two Gestapo SS - Halt! Get down! Then one said to the other don’t shoot him (with a gun to head) because the bullet is too expensive.

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To your left cemetery where they’ll shoot you down, to the right is the train to Auschwitz - they went to Auschwitz.

Upon arrival they marked everyone. purple was gay, blue was Jewish.

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We worked in an underground mine, it was so big, like a city.

The aim of Hitler was to kill every Jew, he knew he couldn’t win the war.

The allies bombed the oil fields but not the railroad leading to Auschwitz. They knew what was going on. Why do you think they did that?

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On liberation, an American soldier from Brooklyn spoke Yiddish. He started crying when he spoke to me upon seeing the others. Fed me eggs.

July 1945 came to America. Learned English, became a citizen. Married and have children. Couldn’t say I love you when I met my wife.

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Q: have you been able to find forgiveness for what happened?
Immediate response: no I have not.

Be alert, fight for justice. You have an obligation to fight for justice.

#NeverForget #NeverAgain

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