InsidetheGasChambers:EightMonthsintheSonderkommandoofAuschwitz

Thisisaunique,eye–witnessaccountofeverydayliferightattheheartoftheNaziexterminationmachine.SlomoVeneziawasbornintoapoorJewish–ItaliancommunitylivinginThessaloniki,Greece.Atfirst,theoccupyingItaliansprotectedhisfamily;butwhentheGermansinvaded,theVeneziasweredeportedtoAuschwitz.Hismotherandsistersdisappearedonarrival,andhelearned,atfirstwithdisbelief,thattheyhadalmostcertainlybeengassed.Giventhechancetoearnalittleextrabread,heagreedtobecomea‘Sonderkommando′,withoutrealisingwhatthisentailed.Hesoonfoundhimselfamemberofthe‘specialunit′responsibleforremovingthecorpsesfromthegaschambersandburningtheirbodies.Dispassionately,hedetailsthegrimroundofdailytasks,evokestheterrorinspiredbythemaninchargeofthecrematoria,‘AngelofDeath′OttoMoll,andrecountstheattemptsmadebysomeoftheprisonerstoescape,includingtherevoltofOctober1944.ItisusualtoimaginethatnoneofthosewhowentintothegaschambersatAuschwitzeveremergedtotelltheirtale–but,asamemberofa‘Sonderkommando′,ShlomoVeneziawasgiventhishorrificprivilege.Heknewthat,havingwitnessedtheunspeakable,heinturnwouldprobablybeeliminatedbytheSSincaseheevertoldhistale.Hesurvived:thisishisstory.PublishedinassociationwiththeUnitedStatesHolocaustMemorialMuseum.