Zalman Gradowski was a Polish Jew deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau in December 1942. Like many others, he arrived with his entire family. Within hours, his wife, mother, and other relatives were murdered in the gas chambers

Zalman Gradowski was a Polish Jew deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau in December 1942. Like many others, he arrived with his entire family. Within hours, his wife, mother, and other relatives were murdered in the gas chambers.

But Zalman survived – selected for the Sonderkommando, the group of Jewish prisoners forced to assist in the extermination process: removing corpses from the gas chambers, extracting gold teeth, burning the bodies, and disposing of the ashes.

Living in the shadow of death, he knew he had little chance of survival. But he was determined to leave behind a record.

In secret, Gradowski began writing. On scraps of paper, he documented everything: the mechanics of mass murder, the unimaginable suffering, the names and last words of victims. He buried his testimony in metal containers near the crematoria.

His words are not just history – they are a cry for memory, justice, and human dignity:

“I want to leave behind a monument to the dead, a tiny piece of paper with words soaked in blood and tears…”

On October 7, 1944, Gradowski took part in the Sonderkommando uprising – a desperate revolt during which one of the crematoria was partially destroyed. He was killed that day, but some of his writings survived.

Today, these fragments are among the most important documents from inside the Nazi killing machine.

Zalman Gradowski didn’t survive Auschwitz – but his voice did.

Let us listen.

@auschwitzmemorial

#ZalmanGradowski #Sonderkommando #Auschwitz #Holocaust #Shoah #NeverForget #Testimony #History #WWII #DeathCamp #JewishHistory #holocausteducation less

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