Madame Schachter essays

Madame Schachter essays Madame Schachters Point of View We were being lined up and stuffed into a boxcar of 80 people. The air and food are scarce. All the heat was unbearable. Lying down was out of the question, and we were only able to sit by deciding to take turns. It has been days since we had stopped last. Saving rations was our rule. We would save for tomorrow because tomorrow might be worse. Im here with my youngest some Isaac who has been brave throughout this entire ordeal. My husband and two older sons, Jacob and David, were taken away by mistake to a different camp. I fear I will never see them again. On the first night of our journey I would moan in my sleep asking God why he had separated my family from me. The train has finally stopped. A man closest to the window said the sign read Kaschau. A German officer who was accompanied by a Hungarian lieutenant-interpreter who introduced themselves greeted us. He said to us, From this moment, you come under the authority of the German army. Those of you who still have gold, silver, or watches in your possession must give them up now. Anyone who is later found to have kept anything will be shot on the spot. Secondly, anyone who feels ill may go to the hospital car. Thats all. He also told us, There are eighty of you in a wagon, if anyone is missing, youll all be shot, like dogs... The doors were then closed again and we went on another journey of not knowing where we would end up. During this journey I saw a fire in the corner of the boxcar, by the window. I could see the flames shooting up and the burnt flesh. I yelled and screamed, Look! Look at it! Fire! A terrible fire! Mercy! Oh, that fire! Nobody would believe me. Even my own son was trying to calm me down, Its all right, Mummy! Theres nothing there ... Sit down... I kept screaming at them for a couple days. Soon other men on this boxcar tied me up, gagg...