Knowing that you would be the cause of many innocent deaths as reprisal for escaping from Plaszow was the greatest factor in your decision to stay in the camp.
As the Russian army advances, the Germans close down the camp and move you, first to Auschwitz and finally to Bergen-Belsen. It is there that you are liberated by British troops on April 15, 1945 — a date you will never forget!
Refugee Jews flood into the camp and rumor has it that some former
Nazis, pretending to be Jews to escape punishment, are among them. You
and the other Jews try to find these masqueraders and turn them over to
the British. One evening, for example, you begin a discussion with
someone you suspect. I understand that we are both from Cracow. I
wonder if you knew any of my friends before the war. I was particularly
close to someone named Lechah Dodi.
The other person responds
affirmatively: Lechah Dodi! Sure! I knew him well.
You've captured a
collaborator! He is arrested and taken off to prison by British soldiers.
A while after the liberation of Bergen-Belsen, you are able to return to Cracow. You are now a free person with freedom of choice. You can plunge back into Jewish life, or you can hold off for a while and think about what to do.
If you decide to resume a Jewish life without further delay, continue to page 79.
If you choose to take time to contemplate your future, continue to page 80.