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Linda Ponce
8th Grade English
Ms. Bridges
26 May 2023

Surviving Concentration Camps

Introduction

We all know the horrific experience the Jews faced during the Holocaust and after it. Even those
who survived the holocaust physically, they will always be tormented and haunted by those awful
memories from those inhumane actions that were directed towards them. After all they went through, the
holocaust affected the survivors drastically. World War ll was the biggest and deadliest war that involved
over 30 countries. The war had a kickstart when the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939; this war lasted a
gruesome 6 years. The Allies ended the war by defeating the Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Japan and
Italy in 1945. This war caused Jews to be dehumanized and put them into concentration camps. The
Allies defeating the Nazis was one of the biggest reliefs for Jews because that meant that they were free
and that they survived an unnerving period of time. World War II was a horrific time period. It was the
worst war in global history. Its effects are still evident today. Surviving concentration camps was a
major contributing force to the everlasting impact World War II has had on humanity and the world.
Three pieces of surviving concentration camps that left a lasting impact are the arrivals at camp, dangers
and hardships of life in the camps, and the liberation of the camps.

Arriving at Concentration Camps

One contributing force that left a lasting impact was the arrival at camps. The arrival at
concentration camps was extremely traumatic for the Jewish people and is a mark of a life changing
event. “Prisoners from all occupied Europe were transported in fully crammed freight cars, with no water
nor food, to Auschwitz. After a journey that sometimes took days and killed many, they arrived at the
long platform of the camp, known as die Rampe (The ramp).” (The Arrival). Arriving at Auschwitz had
prisoners anxious and scared for what may be ahead of them. As the prisoners got off the freight cars they
were awaited. “At the end of it were several SS doctors that in a few seconds decided the fate of the
deportees and resolved who would become a slave and die from exhaustion, hunger or torture, who would
serve as a ‘guinea pig’ in pseudo-scientific experiments and who would be killed straightaway
(statistically 75-80 percent of the deported).” (The Arrival). After stepping foot in the camp, minutes later
their fate was chosen in a matter of seconds and they didn’t know what lay before them.

Dangers and Hardships of Life in Camps

Jews faced many treacherous dangers and hardships. The many dangers and hardships they faced
left survivors severely traumatized. “The SS transported people to the quarantine zone, where they
experienced arbitrary punishments and a humiliating lack of privacy, and were denied medical treatment
even if acutely ill.” ( The Struggle to Survive Auschwitz). Being denied medical treatment is very fatal
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because undiagnosed conditions/diseases can lead to death. “Unable to wash, they went around dirty.
They had to perform their bodily functions in unscreened outside privies. The barracks were frequently
damp, and lice and rats were an enormous problem for the prisoners.” (AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU).
These living conditions were unsanitary and prisoners suffered humility, irritating lice and dirtiness.
Prisoners suffered and went through terrifying experiences; those memories still haunt survivors today.

Liberation of Concentration Camps

Liberation of the camps was a joyful and hopeful new beginning for the Jews. After all the
suffering and pain the Jews went through being liberated was a huge alleviation. “ Liberators confronted
unspeakable conditions in the Nazi camps, where piles of corpses lay unburied. Only after the liberation
of these camps was the full scope of Nazi horrors exposed to the world.” (Liberation of Nazi Camps).
Liberators faced unspeakable horrors that they couldn’t imagine living in, let alone knowing the millions
that have and the 12,000 that survived. “The small percentage of inmates who survived resembled
skeletons because of the demands of forced labor and the lack of food, compounded by months and years
of maltreatment. Many were so weak that they could hardly move. Disease remained an ever-present
danger, and many of the camps had to be burned down to prevent the spread of epidemics. Survivors of
the camps faced a long and difficult road to recovery.” ``( Liberation of Nazi Camps). The excruciating
labor prisoners performed lead to their weak and skeletal- like bodys, diseases, and the inhumane
treatment towards them. The toture and agonizeing life in the camps was finally over for the Jews.

Conclusion

Overall, the Holocaust left an imprint on history, and an impact on the world that would be
everlasting. A big component to the lasting impact of the Holocaust is the survival of concentration
camps and living the terrors of a world changing event
Works Cited
Author Last Name, Author First Name. “Title of Source”. Title of Container (this is the book or
website name). Version (books only). Number (for books only)r. Publisher (for books only). Publication
Date. Location of Publication (for books only). Full URL (for online sources only).
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Works Cited

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum , Washington, DC , “Liberation of Nazi Camps ,

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/ , Febuary 12, 2021 ,
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/liberation-of-nazi-camps

Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum , AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU , https://www.auschwitz.org/ , 2022 ,

https://www.auschwitz.org/en/history/life-in-the-camp/

Musealia, n.f.n. , The Arrival , https://www.auschwitz.org/en/history/life-in-the-camp/ , 2023,

https://auschwitz.net/auschwitz-the-arrival/

Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust , The Struggle to Survive Auschwitz ,
https://mjhnyc.org/ , Wednesday, January 16, 2019 , https://mjhnyc.org/blog/the-struggle-to-survive-
auschwitz/