Judith Perlaki was a Jew from a Hungarian ghetto.
In 1944 the Nazis took her to Auschwitz.
Judy says the place was hell.
Perlaki says many members of her family were sent straight away to the gas chambers and the ovens upon arrival at Auschwitz.
Judith and her sisters were spared the gassum chambers, and were given jobs sorting clothing and other items at the camp.
She says she endured many atrocities while at Auschwitz, including being served soup with live mice in it, and being told her soap was made from the fat of her dead friend.
Judith says she and her sisters were rescued from Auschwitz in May of 1945.
Given that Auschwitz was liberated by the Soviets several months earlier in January 1945, Perlaki must have actually enjoyed time at the "death camp" to stay for a couple extra months.
Perlaki now lives in the United States and travels all over to tell her tale to young schoolchildren.
Survivor shares story of Holocaust
In 1944 a knock on the door changed Judith Perlaki's life forever.
Nazis took Perlaki and the rest of her family from their small village in Hungary to a ghetto and then later to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland.
The 83-year-old Perlaki, assisted by her son Larry and her granddaughter Jennifer, a Penn State student, told a classroom of about 70 students about her experiences as a Holocaust survivor Thursday night.
Upon their arrival at Auschwitz, thousands of people, including members of the Perlaki family, were sent straight to gas chambers or crematoriums.
"Look up at the chimney. That's your family," a Nazi, who knew Judith only by the number "A6933" imprinted on her arm, told her and her two sisters.
The girls were spared that fate and were given jobs sorting out clothing and other objects removed from the bodies of the dead. One day they found clothing they recognized as belonging to their family, Judith said.
Sarah Park (junior-telecommunications) said that story hit her the hardest.
"It's a situation where you could insert yourself and see how hard that would be," she said, though she didn't think anyone could really understand the hardships Judith went through.
Judith recounted story after story about the atrocities she experienced while at Auschwitz. She talked about sleeping on a dirty stone floor, being served soup with live mice in it and being told that the soap she was using was made from the fat of her murdered friend.
Despite her age and the hardships she went through, the white-haired senior citizen spoke with a steady, strong voice. Her voice, accented by a distinct Hungarian accent, didn't quiver as she talked about what had happened to her. She has maintained a good sense of humor, and routinely made students laugh.
In May 1945, Judith and her sisters were rescued after almost a year in Auschwitz. In 1991, the sisters and other family members, including Larry, visited Auschwitz for the first time since their rescue.
"It looked like any other town or village in Eastern Europe, but in fact this place was hell," Larry said.
While walking through the concentration camp-turned museum, Larry had a difficult time keeping his composure, he said. After looking at a display of burnt children's clothing, he finally broke down, he said.
He also stood inside of a crematorium, which he said invoked feelings that are "indescribable."
Judith said she thinks it's important not to lose yourself in hatred.
"I don't have no hatred in me, because I don't know who to hate," she said, adding, "I believe in God and I believe in humanity."
Article: "Survivor shares story of Holocaust"
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See Also:
- Judith Perlaki's tale - Auschwitz gas chambers "as long as 50 football fields", Germans "tied women’s legs together to stop them from having babies"
