Arbeit Macht Frei

This is a German slogan which means “work sets you free”. I was really intrigued by this slogan when I first heard it. A few words with such deep meaning. We all can ascertain various scenarios in and around our lives where we can easily fit these 3 words.

And where can you find these words deep engraved, at the entrance gate of Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Yes the camp which is a deep scar on humanity. The place responsible for killing millions of innocent people to satisfy the ego of one man.

Auschwitz is a story in itself of wrath and injustice of deception and guile. The story of robbing people of their lives their freedom and their right of being a fellow human.

I am befuddled to understand the idiosyncrasy of a person to run a factory of death, here are a few factoids about the inhuman acts conducted behind the walls which has these great words on the entrance.

The prisoners at the camp were distinguished with special marks on their clothes and obviously Jews were treated the worst. The harsh work requirements and poor hygiene killed many of the prisoners. The camp had many blocks in total out of which Block No. 11 was “prison within the prison” where those who didn't follow the rules laid by the SS were punished.

Prisoners were made to stand the entire night in the standing cells after all days hard labour, the cell had just enough place for four people to stand. The basements were the starvation cells where the prisoners were given no food or water till they starved to death; a very ingenious way to kill someone.

There were dark cells that had a tiny window and a solid door and were stacked with prisoners that would die of suffocation and the SS soldiers would light a candle to exhaust the oxygen more quickly. Many were subjected to hanging with their hands behind their backs for days; thus dislocating their shoulder joints. Old, sick and children were the first to be killed as they were not considered capable for harsh labour.

And then came the infamous Zyklon B; a cyanide based pesticide invented in Germany in the early 1920s. Because for the Nazi leader this was still not enough and wanted a quicker way to exterminate people. So they build gas chambers and crematorium where they could slaughter thousands of people in a day. The only way out of this camp was death. Who can possibly think of place being built just to kill people?

According to figures disclosed by the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, the overall number of victims of Auschwitz in the years 1940-1945 is estimated at between 1,100,000 to 1,500,000 people

When the Nazi were busy running this factory of death what were the allies doing when they were aware of the monstrosity going at the Auschwitz? We don’t know what hindered them to stand and act to stop the killing. Another example that we can see for the slogan “Work sets you free”, was it not the duty of the allies who were constantly aware that the gypsies, Jews, Hungarians, Polish and Soviets were taken to an undisclosed location in Central Europe for mass murdering. Now we all know that allies had broken the enigma code and were aware of the actions of German Reich.

Holocaust on such an industrial scale is the mockery to the slogan Arbeit Macht Frei, a mockery on humanity, equality and justice.

-nilesh