A Jewish Child Survives Auschwitz: Learning from George Vine’s Testimony

By John Connors
From the blog series titled, “The Endurance and Relevance of Survivor Testimonials in the 21^st Century” by students of Professor Sylvia Taschka’s ‘Nazi Germany’ class at Wayne State University. In partnership with the Appelbaum Family Compass Fund.

George Vine was born on June 3, 1927, in Ciechanow, Poland, located in north-central Poland near the Prussian border. Germany captured Ciechanow on September 4, 1939, three days after Germany invaded Poland. George was eleven years old when the German invasion occurred. He lived with his parents and an older brother. His father was a translator and his mother was a housewife. Life began to change within weeks of the invasion for the Jewish community.

Life After Poland Was Invaded

At first, the Jewish children were not allowed to attend school. Then Jews were not allowed to work for the government and Jewish businesses were closed. Then Jews were relocated to one part of the city. And then some Jews, including George’s family were relocated to a Jewish ghetto in Nowe Miasto.

From there, they were transferred to Auschwitz concentration camp. George never saw any of his family again after arriving at Auschwitz. He remained there until just prior to the Russian liberation of the camp in 1945. George had been transported to Buchenwald, Mauthausen, Gross-Rosa, and finally Dachau concentration camp where he remained until the camp was liberated by the American Armed Forces later in 1945.

George’s parents had been the anchors in his life. He remembers walking to the train and standing between his parents. They were protecting him from getting lost. His mother was petite but strong. She was a stereotypical woman of her time. She ran the household. George especially mentions how she always prepared the house on Fridays for the meal and prayers. His father he idolized. George describes him as strong and always an optimist despite all the misery surrounding them.

Returning to Life and Questions for Survivors

If I could ask George Vine a question today, I would ask him if, after the war, he suffered from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder.) I am a retired family practitioner and in my medical practice, I met many patients, who had lived through WWII, both Jews and non-Jews. I always found it amazing that the vast majority, when the war ended, seemed to have started living their lives again as though the war was a brief interruption. They rebuilt their lives, they migrated, they got married, they had families, and more. Most interestingly, many never talked about the war to anyone, including their families.

I would ask a survivor like George if they harbored ill feelings towards the Germans as a people. He had always pictured the Germans as a kind, wonderful people. It wasn’t until the train trip to Auschwitz that his optimism wavered.

Does one bear hatred toward the Germans for what occurred during the Holocaust? Or does one forgive and forget? Can one forgive and forget? One of my friends is from Rwanda, and her parents were killed during the genocide that occurred in that country. I know that after the fighting the new government of Rwanda officially forgave the people of the offending tribe, except for their leaders. The stated goal of the Rwandan government was reconciliation and unity. This is what needs to be done to start anew, but do people truly forgive? Can they truly forgive?

The Importance of Oral Testimonials

A testimonial, such as George Vine’s, is an invaluable primary source regarding historical events. The term ekphrasis comes to mind when listening to George’s testimonial. Ekphrasis is a vivid, often dramatic, verbal description of a visual piece of art. The oral history humanizes historical events. His descriptions bring events to life. The listener can empathize with the orator.

For example, when George relates what his father told him on the train to Auschwitz, “…I was wrong. I’m sorry, we will die…” the reader can feel the tragedy, the sorrow, the hopelessness of the event. When George is contemplating suicide in Auschwitz, and he remembers his father’s words, “You will survive,” the reader can feel the hope arising in George’s mind. When a fellow prisoner is killed by the German guard for helping George the reader can sense the horror in George’s being. Testimonials may not be accurate in every detail, but they don’t have to be, because accuracy is not their main purpose. Humanization of events is their goal.

Reflecting on George Vine’s Story

The Holocaust was a horrible event that never should have occurred. Any article about the Holocaust will teach this lesson. What makes this testimonial unique is that George’s description of life during the Holocaust makes it real to the listener.

Also, there is an underlying feeling of hope. Initially, this is presented through George’s father. As bad as the family’s situation became, he clung to the belief that circumstances would improve. And he held onto this belief until the family entered Auschwitz. Hope is experienced again when George is suicidal while in Auschwitz. He remembers his father’s words, “You will survive.” And again, hope is present when a fellow prisoner offers George a bit of his bread, even though the prisoner is himself emaciated. Hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. It is hope that helped George survive despite all the evil that surrounded him.