Sonderkommando

Life for the Sonderkommando during the holocaust was different from other inmates. Survival came with a different meaning. Both the film Son of Saul and the reading This way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen gave an inside look on their means of survival, resistance and the effects it had on their human dignity. The Sonderkommando had better living conditions than other Auschwitz inmates. They were given food, sleeping areas and were able to wear normal clothing. They were accommodated

What does the Holocaust mean to you? Some would say mass genocide, the extermination of the Jews or some may not be able to define it at all. The Holocaust – one of mankind’s worst atrocities committed in the past one hundred years, full of the thirteen years of prejudice and mistreatment that was endorsed by the fascist ideals. Over twelve million people perished due to this mass genocide of all races, ages, classes, and creeds. However, for some ignorance is bliss. Some do not acknowledge these

Survivor’s Guilt Survival -- the term conjures up thoughts of primal instinct. Doing whatever it takes in order to survive. The term can also bring to mind thought of wars or battles where the people who were still left standing were the survivors. In the context of this essay, the term will be used to define the select group of people who managed to continue their physical existence, either through determination or simple happenstance, where the rest of their friends or family members did not. These

A group of Sonderkommando prisoners began formulating a plan for escape. The Sonderkommando (German for “Special Unit”) were Jews in a camp that were forced under threat of death to dispose of the bodies killed in the gas chambers. The Sonderkommandos were treated better than most prisoners and had many special privileges because they needed to be in good shape for the work they

This was when the attacks began. They destroyed Crematoria 4 and killed some of the guards there. The Sonderkommando attacked the SS and Kapos with 2 machine guns, axes, knives and grenades. Using the advantage of surprise from the SS of the attacks, they fought as fiercely as they could with limited weaponry, while whole groups of SS men drove in with machine

to the gas chambers. The people able to work, usually men, became Sonderkommando. Taking prisoners to gas chambers, removing the bodies, cremating bodies, disposing of ashes, shaving hair, removing teeth and sorting through prisoner possessions were all apart of the job of a Sonderkommando (“Sonderkommando Revolt”). They worked under awful conditions for two to four months, then they were killed by the Nazis (“Sonderkommando Revolt”). The replacement group were men that were new

statistics. Dehumanization was also internalized as Sonderkommando were forced to shatter their own moral compass in order to not be instantly exterminated, which made them first hand

who did not fear the thought of extermination, because it was already coming their way, their resistance was in no way uncommon. These prisoners were called ‘Sonderkommando. The Sonderkommando were usually healthy, strong men; chosen straight from their arrival on the trains. Another important thing to note about the selection of Sonderkommando is

Saul is a historical fiction film that gives the jewish and nazi experiences within a extermination camp. Son of Saul authentically portrays the Holocaust through the perspectives of the Sonderkommandos and the Nazi SS by attempting to film every scene in first person with the camera focus on one Sonderkommando. The film is authentic, because its cinematography exposes taboos of Holocaust filmmaking as well as the juxtaposed mentalities of survivors and victims within an extermination camp in first

The Victories Within Concentration Camps Jewish prisoners knew concentrations camps are almost impossible to escape, but they still created resistances to try anyway. The bravery of the Jews during the Holocaust, even while in concentration camps, never wavered. In many camps escapes and revolts were organized; the well-known revolts occurred in Treblinka, Sobibor and Auschwitz-Birkenau. Any prisoners involved in a resistance in any way, were killed immediately. Ironically, the Jews in the