Auschwitz: The Camp of Tears

The Holocaust was not a war, but an unsolicited attack on those who had been unable to defend themselves. This notorious event took place in the midst of World War II. Adolf Hitler was single-handedly wiping out the Jewish population, in addition to the largest war worldwide. He accomplished this task by means of concentration and extermination camps. During the time of the Holocaust, multitudes of these camps had been stationed across Europe, each serving the same purpose– to kill Jews. Some of these camps conducted this gradually, breaking them down to unbearable extents. Eventually, Jews had a desire for death as an escape from their horrible conditions. The most notorious of these death sites was Auschwitz. This Nazi territory had horrible conditions, scarred its inmates and caused an unthinkable amount of deaths. This extermination camp played its role in the Holocaust as the most notorious murder site, consisting of multiple subunits that enforce cruel rules and regulations, with little to no hospitality or care for its inmates.

Auschwitz was by far the most brutal Nazi-German territory, ranking up the largest death counts. This camp not only killed off Jewish men and women, but it killed them in massive quantities with maximum efficiency. This camp, located in Poland, was responsible for the deaths of around 1.1million Jews, with an average death count of 2,000 Jews per day. Nevertheless, over 1.3million Jews were transported to the camp over time.(Auschwitz-Birkenau: What Was the Final Solution). Despite the fact that not all Jews transported to this German Property ended up dead, the death counts amounted far higher than the other camps. Along with Jews, people of other natures, including war prisoners, had also been killed in Auschwitz. "Historians say the Nazis killed more than 1.1m Jews at the vast camp complex, and 300,000 others, most of them Poles and Soviet prisoners-of-war."(Auschwitz inmate's notes from hell finally revealed: Laurence Peter). This excerpt portrays the concept that Nazi-Germans often killed hostages of war at Auschwitz, further adding to the brutality of the camp. This powerful site of extermination and torture was the most lethal of all Nazi properties.

Besides the fact that the victims were gassed at Auschwitz, but the conditions of the surviving members were inconceivable. The men, women, and children of this Nazi site were treated in a way that conserved energy and materials for the Nazis. The captives, mainly Jews, were rarely fed and were forced to bathe in treacherous conditions. "Auschwitz III, also known as Monoschwitz, consisted of a small area that contained the sub-camp buna [where] They [Jews] lived in horrible conditions and were fed poorly."(Auschwitz: The Camp of Death). Through this selection, it is portrayed that the extremity of the horrible living conditions and eating habits of those who were captured, which had many negative impacts on them including illness, disease, and death. The arduous bathing practices suffered by the captives were described in a Holocaust article, which states, "They [Jews] would then be… disinfected and forced through showers that were either extremely cold or painfully hot."(Auschwitz- Birkenau: What Was the Final Solution). This excerpt exemplifies the unbearable conditions of showering, which further portrays the inhumanity of the camp. On top of this, the prisoners were kept in overcrowded living areas. Although this may seem far less than extreme, it surpassed any common interpretations of the word "crowded." As explained in "Auschwitz: The Camp of Death," around 200,000 inmates resided in the barracks of Auschwitz II at one point in time. These living conditions defy the unthinkable and highlight the cruelty of the camp.(Holocaust-TRC).

Along with physical deterioration, the members of this camp were constantly on a mental roller coaster. Many of these mental issues, like depression and anxiety, resulted from a process called selection, where inmates are inspected by SS officers and doctors to determine whether they should be gassed. This process, occurring periodically, caused copious amounts of stress, paranoia, and fear among the Jewish Community. Eventually, death became glorified, occasionally by means of suicide. Those who died were thought to be released from this everlasting nightmare. Nonetheless, the vengefulness of the victims prevented many from committing suicide. This was proven in the journal of a Holocaust survivor, which states, "Often I thought of going in with the others, to put an end to this. But always revenge prevented me doing so." (Marcel Ndjari). Marcel no longer had the will to live. He wanted to escape, and take the tranquil route out of this tormenting chamber. With that being said, he had the desire to get back at the Nazis, like most other Jews, which was overpowering to his suicidal thoughts. Resulting from the abuse of the Nazi- Germans, those who survived felt far less fortunate than those who had been murdered.

Auschwitz made its mark in Jewish history by becoming arguably the most fatal and diabolical location in the world. The inmates of this camp resided in the worst conditions imaginable. Continually fearing the pain to come, the victims of this hell on earth thought of suicide as an escape from the everlasting agony. Those who didn't commit suicide were forced to suffer the wrath of the largest death machines known to mankind. On top of ending the lives of millions, Auschwitz left an everlasting impact on those who lived on.