Elsie v

Elsie V.

By: Paige Boyles

The day the Nazi soldiers came for us will always be a memory I will never forget. I am Elsie, a Jew that was taken from my home to a concentration camp during World War II. We had to leave every thing we had with no preparation. Before I had to depart, I managed to write a note, " Bill go to Switzerland." The first place we were forced to go was to be a house in Prague after a long train ride in cattle cars. From there we were marched to Theresienstadt, or "The Black Cross."

We were marched into the basement where they called out our names. While waiting, people were beaten and laughed at by Nazis. There, we suffered from exhaustion. We had no food or water and our heads had been shaved.

A few days later, we were marched to a castle where there was no hope for an escape.

Bill Elliott Champion 1985

Cell

Photo of M1905 Howitzer used by Allied Forces in W...

Guards were everywhere. We slept on stone floors. The floors were extremely hard and cold. There was not any fresh water to drink, no place to bathe or a decent place to use the restroom. In place of a restroom was a bucket. We were not allowed to bathe until we were given a special soap to use. Little did we know the soap had poison in it causing many people to die.

I once had the nerve to talk back to one of the officers. He got angry and raised his rifle and struck my head shattering my skull. I passed out and later woke up in a restricted box, making it hard for me to breathe. I had stayed there for over 24 hours. Once I was taken out of the box, I was expected to die, but...