Ruth Bondyová

Our car stopped on the Czech-German border, all people got out and started to sing national anthem “Where is my home”. In this moment I realized it’s no longer my home. I would go to Palestine. In Prague I had nowhere to go, I slept one night in the dormitory near train station. It was only my ex-campmate who had reminded me that I had Czech grand auntie in Prague where I met with my sister. After my return I was all foggy for me. I was only 35 kilograms. I spent some time in sanatorium (nursing home).

Men were strictly forbidden in women’s blocks. It was no longer Theresienstadt but Auschwitz. Men and women were strictly separated. Some capos were better other not. On our way to latrine and lavatories we may sometime meet them. In the middle was a path where you can meet. It was time for short exchange of words. Women gave sometime part of their ration to men. It wasn’t visits but at least some exchange occurs. Kids up to the age of ten years were with their mothers on women’s blocks, boys over ten years stayed with their fathers on men’s blocks.

We founded underground organization, communists had leading role as they had best outside connections. We decided when it came we had to do something. Each of us knew only three persons. You knew person who gave order to you and the person you had to give order to him. I had a bottle with kerosene, someone else had matches. If something happened we had to burn our wooden “blocks”. It was obvious that we wouldn’t escape. We didn’t have that striped “pajamas” but we had clothes after dead people, we were frumpily dressed with color stripes on shoulder. Without proper dress, documents, money and connection in outside world we wouldn’t survive. Our uprising was made out of frustration. When selection time came we didn’t know: Is it deathtrap or truly just for work.

I let my number from concentration lager removed. Here (in Israel) people go out most of the year with short sleeves. As a journalist, it disturbed me. People immediately started to ask, how it was, did you meet my cousin and so on. It was like my visit card, so I took it off. I never regretted. Some people keep saying that it was like honor. What honor? They numbered us as a cattle.