What+was+the+aftermath+of+their+separation+into+the+different+camps?

Once the prisoners arrived to the camps, they were usually split up into different groups. The strong and able workers were sent one way, while the weak people (children, elders, and many women) were sent another way. As these people were split up they were asked to give up their valuables. If they refused they were beaten badly by the Nazi soldiers.

 Next came the showers. The weaker group was sent to the ‘showers,’ which was a gas chamber. The soldiers told the prisoners that they would be taking a shower so they made them take off all of their clothes before they were put in the chamber. Then, either carbon dioxide or Zyklon B was released and the people were suffocated. The Nazis picked able working prisoners as part of the //sonderkommando//. These people would collect the dead bodies and put them in the crematoriums to be burned. The other group of able-body prisoners were then herded to the actual showers and were stripped. There, they were doused with very cold water. The soldiers put a chemical on their heads to help get rid of lice. All their hair were shaved off their heads and the Germans kept the hair. This hair was used for making ropes and to fill mattresses (The Jewish Federation of North America).

Next, the prisoners were given underwear, a shirt, a pair of paints, shoes, and a jacket. People traded clothes in order to get the best fit they could. They received tattoos for their identification. They were then assigned to their barracks, which were covered with lice, fleas and other creatures. Their beds were usually filled with straw that was either rotten or fermented. The prisoners' day would begin at about four am.



The meals served at camps were very small and most people suffered from starvation as a result of the harsh work ethic and the meager nutrition they received. People would eat grass and roots to try and survive. For breakfast they were served a slice of bread and coffee, which was usually made up of ground up acorns and water. For lunch they had soup made of potato peels and beets, and for dinner they would get a slice of bread.

Even though people were starving and getting diseases from the terrible living conditions, they were still expected to work. Some things that they had to do was lay sod, dig drainage ditches, work in factories, unload gravel, unload coal from trains, and many other harsh things.

For more information visit The Jewish Federation of North America linked [|here]

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