Elizabeth Rohr Red Class

A Journey, in Which no One Should Have to Take

One Saturday afternoon when nine year old Aliza and her family came home from the synagogue, Aliza noticed that there were men standing in front of their house. Aliza asked her father, Papa, why are those men here? Who are they and why are they wearing the same outfit? Aliza looked at her father, who was driving, and he replied, I dont know Aliza, I dont know. Papa parked the car in front of the house, and then Aliza, Sheldon, her oldest brother, Johanna, her older sister, Josef, her younger brother, her cousin Anne, the same age as Johanna, and Papa got out of the car. Papa addressed the strange looking men and said, Hello, may I help you with something? Aliza noticed that one of the men had a different outfit on and it had more badges on it than the other men, however they all had the same red band on their left arm and there appeared to be some type of design on the band too. The man with the different outfit stepped forward and asked Papa with his frightening and low voice, Is this the Pezeninski family? As this was going on Aliza realized that the men were probably soldiers, and the man that has a slightly different uniform most likely has a higher ranking then the other soldiers. Aliza felt very proud of herself. Papa paused for a moment and glared at the soldier. Finally after about 20 seconds Alizas father asked the soldier, What do you want? Aliza felt as if her father had just spoken to that soldier in a disrespectful way, but didnt understand why he would do such a thing. Then the soldiers facial expression completely changed from calm to absolutely furious, he then yelled, How dare you speak to someone who is superior? Jewish people disgust me! Aliza could tell that my family started to feel uncomfortable and angry, just by looking at their facial expressions. Then the soldier with the slightly different, uniform pointed at a truck and began shouting at Aliza and her family saying, Get in the truck now! Everyone started to walk towards the truck except for Papa. Children, dont listen to these men! Who knows what they might do to us.

The kids started to walk back towards Papa, and then suddenly one of the soldiers roared at them and said, Get in the truck now! Youve caused us enough trouble; I dont think you want to listen to your father. Aliza and her family scrambled to get onto the truck afraid of what the frightening soldiers might do to them! Papa just stood in on the front yard of his home refusing to listen to the soldiers, knowing that they werent going to treat them with respect, especially after what just happened. He prayed to God for forgiveness, knowing that he was going to have to suffer serious consequences for refusing orders. His children yelled, Come on Papa, get on the truck! One of the Nazi soldiers pulled out his gun, and raised it, aimed at Papa, ready to fire at any second. Papa looked at his kids and yelled, I love you! Next there was a loud CRACK! Following the gun shot, all the kids shrieked out of horror and screamed, PAPA!!! Sheldon wanted to yell at the soldiers and jump out of the back of the truck; however he didnt want the same fate as his father. He filled with anger, shock, and sadness; he didnt realize that the soldiers were going to shoot his father. Sheldon suddenly thought about all the power that the Nazi soldiers possessed, and he wondered what was going to happen to him and his family, how much power do these soldiers really have? Without warning, the truck started to move, jerking everyone around. As everyone stared at Papas dead body lying on their front lawn, they all thought about what will happen to them next. Horror began to fill the minds of the Peseninski family! After about an hour drive, more people had been crammed onto the back of the truck with Aliza and her family. There were other trucks that were picking up people too. Aliza didnt understand her, her family, and these other people were being picked up by the soldiers. After thinking of possible answers to why she and those other people were being picked up by the soldiers, she finally remembered that one of the Nazis said that Jewish people disgusted him. Aliza looked over to her right, looking at her older sister Johanna and asked her, Are these soldiers evil? Do they not like people who are Jewish? Johanna turned to look at her younger sister, still thinking about what had happened earlier that day. Finally Johanna spoke up and told her sister, Aliza, I hate to say this but I have a feeling that these soldiers are evil and that they arent too fond of us Jewish people. But why? I dont understand Johanna!

I dont know Aliza and I dont understand why either. Finally after about an hour and a half, the trucks stop at a train station and the soldiers order everyone to get out of the trucks and start getting on the train. Everything became extraordinarily chaotic! Everyone wanted to get off the trucks, however Sheldon told all of us to wait for the craziness to calm down some so we can stay together. Once we got close to getting on the train, Aliza noticed that the train cars didnt look like passenger cars. Not necessarily addressing anyone Aliza said, Why are these passenger cars so open? There are no seats! Sheldon turned his head around slightly, looking at his younger sister with a concerned look on his face. These arent passenger cars. These are cattle cars for cows! Then angrily Anne said, What did we do to deserve this? No one answered her, because the Pezeninski family was suddenly shoved into the cattle car along with about two hundred other Jews! Once everyone was on the train and the cars began to move extremely slowly, Josef finally said something, Im hungry! His family members laughed a little, because out of all this chaos, he only says one thing, and its about him being hungry! Sheldon looked down at his six year old brother, We all are hungry Josef, Im sure well be fed soon. Sheldon paused for a few seconds then his expression changed from assuring to scared, Hopefully well get food soon! I wonder how long well be on this crammed cattle car! Its so packed in here, that we all have to stand up and its starting to get warm in here from everyones breathing! Anne exclaimed. Aliza yelled, I hope its not for long, because I need to use to rest room! Then Johanna told her little sister Aliza, Either hold it or just go if this car doesnt stop in the next hour or two. Ill try to hold is as long as I can. exclaimed Aliza. When the train didnt stop after about a day everyone on the train began to get really concerned! After the Pezeninski family have been on the train for about three days, they are starving, thirsty, hot, tired, the stench in the cattle car is so unbelievably disgusting! About ten elderly people have died, standing up of course, and about eight younger children have died. It gets harder and harder to breath; people fight for to be near the small windows at the back of the cattle car. Sheldon, Im thirsty, hungry, tired and I dont feel very good exclaimed Josef. Sheldon looks down at his younger brother with sadness in his eyes; he doesnt know what to tell his younger brother. Sheldon fears that his brother might have the same fate as the other eighteen people that have already died.

I am too, Josef. Hopefully we wont be here much longer. says Sheldon as he manages to give his younger brother an assuring smile, which made his little brother manage to smile back at his older brother. Suddenly the doors to the car opened and some people tried to jump out but the soldier stopped them and ordered them to stay in the car! The soldier pointed at some young healthier looking men and yelled, Throw out the dead bodies! It took maybe half an hour to do so, because it was really crowded, of course and it made people feel uncomfortable passing peoples bodies up to the front of the cattle car. Once our car and all the other cars unloaded the bodies the train resumed its slow moving pace towards an unknown destination. Aliza notices that her younger brother hasnt been talking much or moving much. She looks at her younger brother, Josef? Are you asleep? There wasnt an answer. Aliza thought to herself that she never remembered her brother ever sleeping so deeply, especially when standing up! Aliza looks at her little brother again then looks at her sister Johanna and asks, Johanna is Josef asleep? Johanna looks at her little brother and manages to bend down some so that shes more level with him. She says, Josef? She squeezes his arm, because that always seemed to get his attention. There was no response. Johanna almost screams his name, JOSEF!!! There is still no response. Aliza and Anne begin to get extremely distressed. Sheldon turns around when he hears his sister almost screaming their little brothers name; you can tell by looking at him that he is filled with fright, as everyone is thinking the same thing. Aliza speaks up, Is Josef, she gulps afraid to say the word, dead? Johanna picks up her little brother terrified to face the truth. She cradles his body in her arms crying hysterically! She hugs her little brothers body. The Pezeninski family begins to cry, not believing that Josef is really gone. Sheldon manages to bend down just a little bit and looks eye to eye at his little sister and asks her, Are you ok Aliza? Aliza looks into her brothers dark brown eyes and asks, Is Josef in heaven with God, Momma and Papa? Sheldon manages a small smile and his eyes begin to fill up with more tears. He tells his sister, Yes, Im pretty sure Josef is in Heaven with our family and he wont have to say that hes hungry anymore. Alizas lips form a small, assuring smile knowing that Josef is ok. Sheldon, can I have a hug? Without hesitating Sheldon picks up his younger sister and holds her against his chest securely. Aliza lays her head on his shoulder. He whispers in her ear, I love you Aliza. Aliza lifts her head up and says, I love you too! Sheldon begins to cry. He cant believe that over about four days he had lost his father and younger brother. He thinks about how he wished

that he had the power to stop their deaths from taking place. He cant imagine losing his cousin and two sisters as well! The thought of losing any more members of his family makes him cry harder, and hold on to his little sister even tighter. The Pezeninski family rode on the cattle cars for about two more days without any food or water. Everyone became weaker and weaker every day. Finally after about six days, the trains finally stopped at their destination. As soldiers pulled the doors to the cattle cars open, everyone is relieved not realizing that the cattle cars were only the beginning of the horror. Aliza held on to Sheldons hand, Anne and Johanna held hands, and the four tried to stay in a little huddle so they didnt get separated. Aliza squeezed her brothers hand quite tightly. She looked up at her older brother and said, Im scared! Sheldon looked down at his sister with a frightened look on his face, Im scared too, Aliza! Aliza felt a little better that she wasnt the only one that was frightened. As the Pezeninski family walked into the concentration camp, they didnt understand where they were currently at and why all these Jewish people were being put into such a horrible looking place; Anne pointed out that the sign above their head as they went into the camp said If you work youll be set free. This helped everyone feel less scared, however they wondered what kind of work they were going to have to do. Once the Pezeninski family entered the camp the soldiers started to separate men from women. Aliza started to panic; she didnt want her family to be separated, and Sheldon helped comfort her and helped her feel so much safer when she got scared. Aliza spoke up, starting to cry, Sheldon, you cant leave me! I need you to help keep me safe! Sheldon squeezed his sisters hand and told her, Dont worry, Johanna and Anne wont let anything happen to you, they love you just as much as I do. Aliza looked back at her sister and cousin and they both gave her an assuring smile, which made Aliza feel better. A soldier looked at Sheldon and pointed to a line of men and then said, Go over there now! Sheldon nodded and quickly gave his sisters and cousin a hug and told them, Ill see you guys later. I love you! Then Sheldon smiled at his family, which made them feel better about the situation. Finally Sheldon quickly walked over to the line of men. Johanna thought, Sheldon has the power to make someone feel so much safer. Then she looked to her sister and cousin and said, Sheldon can really make a situation better, with his positivity! Once Johanna finished her sentence her, and the other two girls were shoved into the line where the women were supposed to line up at. Unexpectantly, Johanna felt someone grab her hand, and she felt her heart drop to

her stomach out of fear. She looked at who grabbed her hand and Johanna sighed with relief, it was just her little sister. Johanna smiled at her sister, knowing that she must feel as terrified as her. Once everyone was in either the line with women or the line with men people who were already in the camp started cutting everyones hair off their head. Many of the women didnt like the idea of this. After everyones hair was cut, the soldiers instructed everyone to take off their clothes, and put on an outfit that almost looked like a pair of pajamas with a strange cap that everyone had to wear on their head. When Aliza was putting on her outfit, she noticed that the outfit was really dirty and didnt smell very pleasant, Anne my outfit doesnt smell very good, Aliza exclaimed. Anne scrunched up her nose and said, Mine doesnt have a nice fragrance either. When everyone had their outfits on, they were showed where they were to sleep in barracks on wooden bunks. Everyone had to do work, otherwise they were to be killed; since Aliza was younger fortunately she wasnt killed, she just had to clean out the kettles that were used to cook the food for the people at the camp. The bottom of the kettle always has burnt pieces of potatoes or vegetables. Aliza was always so hungry, because even though she was feed she got very little food, just like everyone else, therefore she would eat the burnt pieces in the kettles. She wouldnt see Anne and Johanna until the end of the day, always afraid they wouldnt come back, because she noticed that people would go to do their work in the morning, however they never came back in the evening. Aliza thinks of her brother Sheldon, everyday hoping hes not one of those people who mysteriously disappear. Over time there is less food at meal time. Aliza notices that everyone seems to be skinnier, including her. Aliza barely has any energy most of the time but tries the best she can to work to her best ability, because she wanted to know that her sister and cousin are still with her, plus the soldiers that patrol the camp scare her; she doesnt want to know what will happen to her if she doesnt work diligently. After about a month of being in the camp, that Aliza thinks is called Out-With as she is over hearing what people say, she is so weak she doesnt know how people have been at the camp for over a month and they still manage to work. Aliza notices that Anne is always coughing and her nose is runny; Johanna tries to help Anne cover up her cough when soldiers walk by them. Aliza gets more frightened as Annes sickness get worse and she seems to get even skinnier. After about two months of being in the camp there is almost no food compared to when they first got to the camp and everyone is becoming weaker, fearing what the soldiers might do to them to torture them even more, however Aliza notices that there seems to be less soldiers roaming the camp. About a week later it seems as if no soldiers are even patrolling the camp anymore! One morning after Johanna helps get Anne and Aliza off of their bunk, Aliza notices some men driving up to the fence and they dont look like the soldiers that walked around the camp. Who are those men Johanna? Aliza asks her older sister. Johanna looks towards the fence as she walks out of the barrack, I dont know Aliza. The women dont know what to think about all the men approaching the camp fence. Anne struggles to walk, because she is so weak with the little strength she has left she says,

I hope they are here to help us! Johanna nods her head and says, I hope they are here to help us too! The men begin to enter the camp. A women says, They are Americans and they are here to free us! Finally after about a week the Americans helped get the Jewish men and women out of Out-With. Aliza looks around frantically for Sheldon hoping he wasnt one of the people who mysteriously disappeared, after a while Aliza is convinced that her brother wasnt going to show up. As Johanna assisted her cousin with walking, Aliza grabbed Annes hand and says, I cant find Sheldon Then suddenly theres a voice behind Aliza saying, What do you mean you cant find Sheldon? Aliza quickly turns her body around and her eyes land on a very skinny man that appears to be extremely feeble. Aliza looks at the young mans face, and his lips form a smile that Aliza would recognize from anywhere! Alizas face lights up with so much happiness its unexplainable! Aliza begins running towards the young man and yells, Sheldon!!! Finally Aliza jumps into Sheldons arms almost knocking him over! Sheldon uses all his strength to pick up his sister and hug her with so much love and joy! He holds her tightly and begins to cry, Aliza looks at her brother, confused. She asks him, Why are you sad? Sheldon shakes his head, Im crying, because Im so happy to know that you, Anne, and Johanna are alive. He hugs his sister a little tighter. Slowly Johanna and Anne walk up to Sheldon with the little strength they have left, he smiles at them and they smile back, and all he can say is, I love all of you so much! And hugs his family with whatever energy and strength he possesses. The Pezenski family thinks about how the Nazis may have had the power to change their lives in so many horrible ways; they had the power to take away their some of their family members lives, they had the power to take away their strength, energy, and almost their lives; however they didnt have the power to take away the love that the Pezanski family (and any other family) have for each other! My narrative essay connects to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and power, because my story is like a modified version of Shmuels life. Shmuel lived with his family and they were all very happy. Then Shmuel and his family were crammed on to cattle cars for a number of days just like the Pezenski family. At one point both Shmuel and the Pezenski family lose their father. Both families have a brother named Josef too. When the Pezenski family, Shmuel and other Jewish people were put in Auschwitz they became very skinny and feeble. The Jewish people didnt have much power when the Nazis took over various countries. The Nazis had enough power to change history forever and affect peoples lives in absolutely horrible ways. The Nazis had the power to scare people, abuse them, and kill them, which happened in both stories. America had enough power to liberate the people from the concentration camps at the end of WWII. The Nazis power affected the whole world, mainly Jewish people by killing over

six million people of Jewish religion or of the ethnic group. Many governments and people have lots of power; however its up to them whether or not they use their power to positively affect groups and individuals.