26th November 1938
My arrest took place during the night of Thursday to Friday, 10th November 1938 – in contrast to many of my acquaintances I was not notified of the imminent arrest. My home remained undamaged.
We first came to a dark room in Fühlsbüttel prison in numbers that exceeded the capacity fivefold, stayed there without food the entire day and were then transported overnight in open goods wagons to Sachsenhausen, where we arrived at 2 o’clock in the morning. On the journey a young 17-year-old man from Bremen had a nervous breakdown because he had had to watch how SS men shot his mother, who cried out from the pain of seeing him led away and was then left lying there. On our arrival in Sachsenhausen a large number of SS men met us and immediately began such harsh mistreatment by kicking and beating us with rifle butts and truncheons that the Schupo escorting us stood there in bewilderment and quickly left and went back. We then had to march in lines of five, i.e. run – the physical exertion and the uninterrupted beating and battering by the SS was such that two of our group were left dead on the ground on the 15-minute march.
Then began the most terrible thing, the effect of which on me especially made all the physical mistreatment appear minor - in the camp we had to stand for 19 hours (for some individuals this time stretched to 25 hours) and were rewarded with kicks and blows from rifle butts during this time if one or two collapsed. The first to be called out was the rabbi, who had his beard pulled and was mistreated; he was given a sign to hold with the inscription, “I am a traitor to my country and an accessory in the death of vom Rath.” He had to carry this sign around for 12 hours with arm outstretched. The SS men, of whom scarcely one was over 21 years of age, particularly had it in for all old, fat Jews of a higher social status and of Jewish appearance, e.g. rabbis, teachers, lawyers, whilst they treated sporty looking younger Jews more leniently. I cannot dispel the impression that a homosexual undertone influenced the actions of the SS men.
We were now shorn of beard and the hair on our head and had to stand for six hours again without food, drink and anything covering our heads outside in the rain - therefore we were without sleep and food for 2 days and nights and had to stand for the longest time. The first water that we could then take was so full of iron that we could barely keep it down as it was unhealthy.
In Sachsenhausen camp there were about 18,000 prisoners; of these 6,000 were from Hamburg. Most of them said that their homes had been completely wrecked, and they had had to spend the nights in all sorts of places until they were finally caught.
Thus a former senior legal official, who gave his name using his title, was treated particularly harshly, and with him the owner of a large catering business.
Every activity in the camp had to be carried out at the double, as well as en route to and from work, also as far as possible at work. If someone did not run, the SS men shouted, “Keep running, your highness, run, fat Judenschwein.” Those exhausted and mistreated were not permitted to be helped, “The Schwein must stay where he’s lying.” Nobody went to our Revier; even if somebody did go, the doctor would not concern himself with them, only the Sanitäter who extremely skilfully and helpfully lent us their support. One could speak softly, although as a general rule anyone who spoke could be shot.
The work, to which we were driven at the double, was carried out in the Klinker-(Hermann-Göring)-Werke and consisted of hauling bags of sand and cement. To carry the sand we prisoners had to take off our jackets and put them on again so that the back was at the front, then the jacket was held high and sand recklessly shovelled in, which we then had to carry with arms outstretched at the double for about 5 minutes [and] drop into the wagon. Then back again at the double. Bags of cement weighing a hundredweight were thrown indiscriminately onto the necks of 60- and 65-year-old men, they then had to haul this load in the same way at a brisk pace, throw it down and run back. Occasionally the sand was hauled on so-called stretchers; that was even more dreadful as this wood cut into the hands so that the flesh on my hands was cut through to the bone. After I had done five to six days' duty I finally then went to the Revier where my hands and feet were treated properly by the above mentioned Sanitäter.
I also want to stress that the SS men spoke to us indiscriminately as "Du" [familiar form of “you”] as a matter of course, and that we were particularly overcome with horror when it was known that the Vienna SS was on duty.
On the return march from work we ran in lines of five. Those who collapsed were beaten and then carried on a stretcher inside the lines of five, so that the people whom we had to pass on the streets did not notice several stretchers outside the lines. Anyone who was not standing to attention properly at drill had to "roll", i.e. turn over and over in the sand until he lost consciousness. These unfortunate ones would often then run into the electric fence and were killed by the electric shock or by the guards who patrolled the boundary fence.
Finally on 21st November came the news of our release and indeed 70 of us were transported back. When we reported to the commandant at the release, the senior SS officers were talking about whether it might not be advisable to slaughter or burn this or that particularly fat Jew. The effect of this conversation, considered to be a joke, on those with shattered nerves was terrible. However this was not the end of our journey through hell. On the morning after the announcement we had to stand from 6 o’clock in the morning until 6 o’clock in the evening in the pouring rain without head covering, then on the following day again from 11 until 3 without food and without being permitted to use the latrines. Eventually it was announced that the Jews would not receive any tickets to travel, and at the same time it was remarked, “You can walk on foot to Stargard [now Pol. Stargard Szczeciński] as far as I’m concerned.” We then paid for those with no money amongst us, and then had to wait another twelve hours at the railway station before we could leave. Our clothes, which had had to be disinfected because all Jews were lice-ridden, were completely ruined.
Kurt Juster, Hamburg, 30 years old, Hoofddorp, Hotel “De Landbouw“
In the report:
Legal official = senior prosecutor Guggenheim
Owner of the large catering business = Herr Unger, Kempinski
