November 14, 1937


My name is Jeremy Vogn. My family and I live in Poland. My Family is very close, that may have something to do with our family being so small. My mother's name is Eliza, my father is Miguel I also have a brother named Miguel they second, and we call him MJ for short. My mother and father are 41 and my brother is 17 now. I decided to keep this journal because my mother said I have too much energy and should try to write a story. So I decided to just keep a journal. This will be the story of my life.






November 15, 1937

Today my brother and I played a little handball with some friends outside, we heard some news about a man named Adolf Hitler. We don't know much about him but he says when he gets control he will make Germany a better place. Today we are having a party at grandpa's house later to celebrate his last day in the army. We all are very proud of him for being in the army for such a long time, with grandma passing three month ago it has been hard for him but he has stayed strong.






November 17, 1937


Today is going to be a long day because we stayed so late at grandpa's house and didn't get home to almost 2:30. This whole Adolf Hitler thing is kind of bugging me. I don't really know why I just have a bad feeling about him. I of course would not say that around mom or dad because they really think he is a going to do a lot of good for Germany. I guess we will find out tomorrow because Hitler has an announcement to make.






November 18, 1937


Today I think my point has been proved. I am so mad and do not like Hitler at all. Today Hitler said that all Jews must wear these little stars that represent the Star of David. I don't know why he is doing this but he will not tell us why he is just saying that we must wear them, but I know it can't be good. I think that mom and dads decision about Hitler has changed for the worst.






November 21, 1937


Sorry I haven't written for so long this Hitler freak is driving me crazy. He has now taken us from our home and all the others and moved us into what he calls the Ghettos. These ghettos are awful. These living conditions are terrible, it's dark, cold, wet, and smells like something I have never smelled before. I feel like a rat in a sewer no where to go, trapped in a dark wet whole. I hope Hitler pays for this.








November 23, 1937


I don't know how long we can keep living like this. The neighborhood's sewage has backed up and they will not fix it. You can see just waste all over the street and in our house it is awful I can't bare it anymore. Not only does it smell so bad in here it's really getting to mom and on top of that she hasn't felt good because of the baby. She actually hasn't gained much weight for being pregnant. The baby is due in December. Hopefully we can get out of here in time for the baby to come.






November 29, 1937


I'm so happy I finally found my diary today; it got lost on the way to the train. Hitler put us on a train and we have no idea where we are going. The solider was very mean to us, shouting pushing us we don't understand why we are being treated like animals, we haven't done anything wrong.




December 1, 1937

We have arrived at what the solders were calling the holding station. This is supposed to decide where we go north or south. The solders will not tell us what happens north or south so you can tell how nervous we all are. I don't know what is going to happen to us but I m getting very nervous as time passes. I've heard that people have seen huge facilities being built but nothing really inside the barb wired fences. We have here for almost 6 hours now but they still will not tell us anything. I have been looking around and I have noticed all the people that got off the train were Jews. This must have something to do with Hitler making us wear the Star of David on our clothes everyday.





December 15, 1937

We finally found out where we are going to go. We will be heading north, I don't know what happens north but I know it can't be good. I did hear something that might be the name of the place we are going, he mentioned something called Auschwitz when he was talking to the other solider. I just don't know what to think about this whole situation. The name Auschwitz just makes me shiver just from the sound of it.





December 25, 1937


Mom is not doing well today. She hasn't since we got on the train. She is having terrible pains in her stomach and the baby is due in just a week or two. The soldiers will not feed us very much, the train is hot, and it smells almost worst than the ghetto. The guards wont even let us leave our seat so little kids are peeing there self and the smell is just terrible. If this is just the beginning to something much bigger, than I am afraid of what is to come.






January 1, 1938

When have arrived at Auschwitz. Grandpa is so weak he can barely walk. It is so cold that we can see our breath and it looks like steam from a train. They had the men go in one line and the women and children go into another. Mom and dad had to split up they tried so hard to stay together but the solider was just all over dad because he tried to stay with mom. Me dad, and Miguel went to one line so mom was all alone. Grandpa was first in line he was looked at and then put to the right. I was so worried about grandpa, where were they taking him? Why can't he stay with us? They had a lot of people that didn't look so good or were really old in the same line with grandpa. After about ten minuets the guard came over to grandpa's line and said people to the right come with me that am when I screamed GRANDPA!!!.The guard came over and said SHUT UP! So I screamed back where are you taking him? Then I started to say you are going to pa'. then I was on the ground

'I said shut up Jew' he yelled


We should not be treated like this. I don't know if anyone will make it out of this place'. Alive.





January 2, 1938


Yesterday was one of the worst days of my life and there is probably more to come. Yesterday''..I can barely write about it, it was just so awful but I must keep writing to tell the future of what happen in the past. Yesterday the solders made up strip in front of each other and wash ourselves in ice cold water; the water felt like as soon as it came into contact with you skin you would get frostbite. After we did that they took all of our valuables mom lost the necklace that grandma gave her right before she died. Then we were made to sit out in the middle of everyone in the ice cold whether naked in front of everyone and get our head shaved. My moms beautiful long hair was just gone like that. By the time they were done the pile of hair from everyone was up past my hips.






January 3, 1938


Mom found out that the Nazi's don't like children being born in the camps. Who knows what they do if one is born. Me and my father stretch out her robe for her so she wouldn't look as pregnant. She has dads belt to hold her stomach in. There is not much else we can do. I don't know what will happen to my little brother/sister when she or he is born but all I know is I want out of this place.





January 5, 1938

Mom's pains are getting worst. She hasn't slept for days and on top of that working in the fields all day isn't helping. The baby is due anytime now and the sad thing is that dad won't get to be there for the birth. Being away from mom so much is very hard I miss her so so so much. I have decided to stop writing till the baby is born' I just don't want to think about what has been going on.





January 11, 1938

The baby is here!! It was a beautiful girl. Mom always wanted a daughter but this isn't really the best way to have her but she is here now. Mom has to find a way to hide her from the solders. I just cant believe that I actually have a baby sister now. It fells cool not being the youngest anymore. I just hope all of us and the baby get out of here together.





January 13, 1938

Well everything is just getting worst and worst as time goes by. I try not to complain about how weak, hungry, and how much pain I'm in because I know there is always someone that has it even worst than me. I got to play with the baby last night with Miguel and dad. The only way I got over there was because they had such a huge amount of people that went to the gas chambers, so the guards had to double up on the way there so there was a good pathway to mom's dorm. As long as the guards don't find the baby I think we will be alright.





January 15, 1938

The guards found the baby last night! I haven't been able to function all day I haven't stop crying, I still am crying right now. I didn't know a human could be so evil to such a innocent little baby. They were like animals with her throwing her around to each other like she was a ball. I thought they would give her back to mom after that but the didn't they weren't going to give her back they threw her up in the air and shot at her like she was a bird. I couldn't believe my eyes. There was nothing left of her they sat her on a wood post and used her for there target practice. I have never hated someone so much. I wanted to kill everyone one of them, I have never felt so evil but they need to pay for what they did. I don't know what to even think now. All I know is that they will pay for what they did.





January 18, 1938

Me, dad, and Miguel have made a plan to escape with mom. Tonight we are going to get a gun we know where to get one because the guards have a storage unit by our dorm. Tonight me and dad will sneak over and get three pistols if there is that many there. After we get them we will get ourselves in trouble and be sent to the gas chambers. Since there will only be about 5 to 7 of us going down there we will only have 2 or 3 guards to worry about so we should be able to take them out. Me and dad figured out that it is about 10 miles to the chambers so the shot won't be very loud, if they even hear it. God help us all.





February 2, 1938

It took us a couple of nights to get the guns but we got them, I have no idea how dad plans to get us in enough trouble to get us sent to the gas but I'm sure he will think of something but he will have to do it quick. Tomorrow morning is when we plan for everything to happen. Hopefully it all goes as planned, if not we could have a bullet in out head not them.





February 3, 1938

Okay everything is in place there five guards on patrol this morning so that means there will only be about three guards to come with us to the chambers. It has to happen this morning dad said he said this would be the best day to do it so we will find our fait today.





February 3, 1938 (Later that day)

Dad is hurt! We got out it was amazing but dad was shot in the leg with a pistol shot when we were running. Dad did a really good job getting us to the chambers. Dad spit in one of the guards faces and we just went along with it and it actually worked. There were a couple of other people that went down there with us and they actually helped us out a little bit. While I was done there I found something that looked very familiar to me. It was ring with two guns crossed on it, it was in the body pile. It was grandpa's ring form the army. I knew they gassed grandpa but how could they be so mean to an innocent man. While we were heading back to get mom we had to make sure the guards dint see us coming back or they would shot us. The guards had there backs to mom so we got her and hid in her dorm and thought of how to escape. We decided to escape at lunch or what they call lunch anyway. I personally think that it is a lame exude for a lunch a scoop of slosh that is supposed to be soup is not lunch. Anyways I need to focus on getting out of here and not the disgusting lunch that they give us. We are going to have to run very fast to get out of here and if they notice us they will shoot us or release the dogs on us which would be almost impossible to escape then. After lunch started we headed for the bear traps. We all have sticks to stab the ground in front of us but if we miss one, we will be done. We are making slow but steady time. We have to camp here tonight we had ran for three hours now and its getting to dark to keep going.





February 4, 1938

We are on the move again this morning we heard a bark this morning that means we have to really hurry. If the dogs catch up to us there almost no way out. Woods normally look beautiful but theses ones just look awful. It looks like middle of night but its still morning it is so cold but I'm sweating it doesn't make any since. I just feel as I can't go on any longer but if I stop I will be shot.





February 4, 1938, (Later that day)

We ran another six miles probably today. I would say that we are in front of the guards by about a day or so. Dad said we can sleep here tonight. Believe me this is not my idea of somewhere to sleep but I need to sleep so I think I will manage.








February 5, 1938

We are on the move again this morning. We got a good start this morning, I just hope that the guards will give up soon because I' am just so tired I can barely run or stand up anymore. If we get out of the wood alive dad doesn't think we can stay in Germany because they could still find us so we are going to just go straight to America where the free land is. My dad said that he knew a guy that could give us a ride over there on his boat. He said it would take about two to three days.

I'm so excited to get to America they don't call it the land of opportunity for no good reason. When we get over there dad can find a job and we can live free once again. Father said the boat place that his old friend works at is about three miles away. So we will camp here tonight and will leave for America in the morning.





February 6, 1938


I woke up to a gun in my face today it was a guard, how did he catch up to us? I looked over and noticed that Miguel was gone. Where could he be at a time like this? Did the guards take him? The guard was about to shoot me but then I heard a gun shot, and then the guard fell on me. Miguel shot him. He saved my life. I haven't been able to stop thanking him yet.






**************

We got to the boat station and had to sneak around guards but we finally found the boat guy. His name was Gilbert; he was hiding around a cave like thing in the rocks with a boat. It was a beautiful sight to see him and a boat because I knew that boat was my way to freedom. We finally got on the boat but we had to paddle for a long time because we couldn't let the guards hear the engine of the boat or we would be shot down.






************

We finally got to stop paddling and start the motor up. I thought I wasn't going to be able to do that for much longer because my arm was going numb but to get to America I will take it. Well I can't take the chance of losing my journal on the boat so I will write when I get to America. Till I'm free so long journal''.. so long.