Once again the Germans have thought up new atrocities against the Jews. I can cite the following factual report as one who was affected by the events.

On 10th November 1938 my family and I were startled from our sleep at half past 5 by continuous ringing and banging on the door, and it was demanded that we opened it. I was arrested and had to go along immediately. This operation was carried out by an SA-Obersturmbannführer and a Hitlerjunge who was perhaps 15 years old. I was not given any time to dress and so I could only go along scantily clothed. At least I still had something to cover my body. One Jew appeared in nightshirt, another in dressing gown and a third came barefoot.

I was taken to the gymnasium of a school were Jews had already been brought since c. 2 o’clock in the morning. I was received there by police, SA and SS men, all of whom excelled at striking and mistreating us with all possible beating devices such as bullwhips, whips and sticks. I myself got nothing, thank God, apart from some kicks so that I could hardly walk. But the picture that presented itself to me was terrible. Only the blood of poor, wounded people sprays in such a way, and the terrible screams of pain of those who had been struck were nerve-wracking. After the beasts had staunched their sadistic lust we were ordered to knee-bend with arms raised, face to the wall so that they could shoot us. Moreover, what was about to happen was all the same to me. Now a new hail of beatings was deployed and blood sprayed about in such a way that my coat was completely spattered with the blood of other Jews. I was lucky again in this situation too, I received nothing, perhaps because someone amongst them wished me well.

After this Aktion we had to line up in rows and shout “Juda verrecke!” aloud three times.

Subsequently we were loaded into cars and brought to Buchenwald concentration camp near Weimar, where we were also received with mistreatment. It was quarter to 7.

Two Jews were beaten so badly in the gymnasium that they could not be transported: they had to be taken to the hospital. One of them is still unable to walk today, on 20th March 1939.

On the Appellplatz of the camp, at the command “Attention!" we had to stand for twelve hours, albeit people aged up to 79 were there. These beasts of hangman’s assistants do not have a human heart whatsoever. In front of me stood a man of 69 years who had been hit on the top of the skull and had blood flowing down him. Although he lost consciousness he was not removed but still kicked and further roared at, whether the Schwein did not want to perish. As if by a miracle this man has now become healthy again.

We Jews had a particular place in the camp and did not come into contact with the other miserable prisoners, who at that point had already been robbed of six years of their freedom. We were almost 11,000 people and were accommodated in five barracks without straw and without blankets. The sparsely clothed were naturally very cold but we were given extra stuff by the others who were there.

For 48 hours those beasts had given us no food or drink and the treatment was terrible. The worst night was the night from the first Sunday to Monday, when some were battered to death.

I observed the following case: I lay by the window whilst the guards thrashed a man until he fell lifeless: next they dragged him by the legs across the Appellplatz and kept beating him until he disappeared from my view. What became of him and who it was, I do not know.

The strangest thing however, is that from that night onwards, no SS man or guard was allowed to enter our camp and we finally had peace. Discipline was maintained by us Jews ourselves.

The sanitary facilities were indescribable, at first we only had one latrine for the many people, eventually one more was built later. There was absolutely no water for washing or drinking. I was there for four weeks, and one can imagine what condition one found oneself in. Because of the muddy ground the soles of the shoes of many rotted, mine included, and each day was a further agony.

At our release these brutes took their anger out on us once more, in that they insulted us with foul language, and we first breathed a sigh of relief when we reached the other side of the camp boundary. We thought wistfully of the others who had remained behind, whose suffering first began when the terrible cold set in a few days later.

Unfortunately many Jews died there because they did not receive proper medical treatment, medication was lacking, and the smallest cold could bring death. Thus did one of my best friends die, who had caught a bladder infection and went down from it.