Copy of Arek Hersh
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Arek was born and brought up in Poland along with his 4 siblings.
Photo by Boudewijn Berends
On September 1, 1939 the German army attacked Poland. At that time Arek and his family was forced to move into a house with his family in Lodz.
Photo by John-Morgan
11-year-old Arek was taken. He spent the night in a police station and the following day he and other prisoners were taken to a railway station where Arek's brother was waiting and wanted to take Arek's place. Arek refused. He was taken to a camp called Otoschno which was run by the SS. After 18 months there were only 11 of the original 2500 men left alive. Arek managed to survive through his job cleaning the camp commander's office which meant he was able to steal food. In 1942 Arek was sent home.
Photo by Lotus Carroll
In August 1942 the Nazis decided to liquidate the ghetto.4000 people were made to assemble in the church. Arek ran away pretending to getting some water and went to join a group of people who had been selected to work. Those in the church were taken to Chlomno death camp where they were gassed and buried in mass graves.
Photo by VinothChandar
Arek and the other 150 people were taken to Lodz. The president of the ghetto demanded that the ghetto population should hand over 10,000 children. Arek knew he fell into that category. He managed to hide from the SS in a cemetery while the ghetto children were taken to Chelmno where they were also gassed. Alone, and without his family, Arek was accepted into the orphanage where he worked in the mill and was able to find food. He stayed there for two years.
Photo by avl42
in 1944 the Germans decided to bomb the Lodz ghetto because the Russian army was getting closer. The remaining population was put on a train for the two day ride to Auschwitz Birkenau. The 185 children from the orphanage were among them. When they arrived at Auschwitz, Dr Mengele selected people to work and people to go straight to their deaths. Arek didn't know what was happening, but he could tell that the fitter, healthier people were on the right so took advantage of a distraction to run across to that side. He was made to leave all his clothes and possessions, had his head and body shaved and was made to shower. He was given a striped suit to wear and was tattooed with the number B7608. From that day onward Arek lost his name and was only referred to by and was only referred to by his number.
Photo by Ciccio Pizzettaro
After a few weeks Arek was chosen with a group of other boys and taken to Auschwitz 1. He was put into a block with prisoners and the food was a little better. He had to work as an gardener for the SS, ploughing fields and fertilising them with ashes from the death camp. Arek remembers feeling the bones as he spread the ashes on the ground. He later worked in the fishing station which involved catching fish from the river to be transported to Germany for food.
Photo by Nick-K (Nikos Koutoulas)
In January 1945 Arek could see and hear American and British bombers and knew the Germans were losing the war. On 18 January the Germans decided to clear Auschwitz camp. They took the remaining prisoners on a forced march, known as the death march, for three days with no food, wearing only their striped camp uniforms in deep snow and temperatures as low as minus 25 degrees. The survivors found themselves in Buchenwald in Germany where Arek was put into a children's barrack.
Photo by plastic handgun
In April he and 3000 other people were taken to the city of Weimar in Germany, loaded onto open wagons and sent off on a month-long rail journey to Theresienstadt. Many people died on the train. Arek was one of the 600 who arrived alive in Czechoslovakia on 8 May 1945. There they were set free by the Russian army.
Photo by ressaure
In August 1945, after four months in Theresienstadt, Arek was taken to Prague as one of a group of 300 children and taken by plane to Windermere in the Lake District. They stayed in former factory accommodation and had some English lessons and some time to recover. Arek moved to Liverpool where he and some of the boys he had arrived with were able to learn a trade.
Photo by hartlandmartin
Arek didn't speak about his experiences until 1995 when he wrote his book, A Detail of History. Today Arek goes to schools, universities and other organizations to talk about his experience of the Holocaust. He hopes that by doing this he can help young people to build a better world.
Arek later discovered that only 40 people from his home town survived the war. Most people were killed in the death camp at Chelmno, including many members of his family.
Photo by gacabo
