More on Convent at Death Camp
Being a survivor of Auschwitz-Birkenau, people often refer to me as the “lucky one.” But, just how lucky was I?
In December of 1944, the Nazis forced me to leave Auschwitz on a death march to escape the Soviet army which was rapidly approaching. But I left behind the ashes of my beloved mother and 14-year-old sister, who were murdered there with 3 million other Jews. Their remains are scattered on the grounds of Auschwitz, the largest Jewish burial ground in all the world.
Two years ago I finally mustered the courage to return to this holy cemetery. I was stunned to see a Catholic convent on these sacred grounds, so saturated with Jewish blood.
I realized that the presence of the nuns here was the beginning of the final revision of the most infamous Nazi concentration camp, its gas chambers, and crematories.
We, the survivors of the Holocaust, will protest!
RENEE FIRESTONE, Beverly Hills
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