yes. you were made to work and then, when you were no longer any use to them, then they sent you back to auschwitz to be killed.
yes.
her. and her. and her. and her. and her. and her.
each of the guards would choose a certain number of women. hanna schmitz chose differently.
she had favourites. girls, mostly young. we all remarked on it, she gave them food and places to sleep. in the evening, she asked them to join her. we all thought - well, you can imagine what we thought.
then we found out - she was making these women read aloud to her. they were reading to her. at first we thought this guard, this guard is more sensitive, she's more human, she's kinder. often she chose the weak, the sick, she picked them out, she seemed to be protecting them almost. but then she dispatched them. is that kinder?
yes. you're michael berg. i was expecting you.
so you must tell me: what exactly brings you to the united states?
you're a lawyer?
i was intrigued by your letter but i can't say i wholly understood it. you attended the trial?
my mother died in israel - a good many years ago.
go on, please.
she was a friend of yours?
is that an explanation of her behaviour?
or an excuse?
why don't you start by being honest with me? at least start that way. what was the nature of your friendship?
i'm not sure i can help you, mr. berg. or rather, even if i could i'm not willing to.
but what?
i see. and did hanna schmitz acknowledge the effect she'd had on your life?
people ask all the time what i learned in the camps. but the camps weren't therapy. what do you think these places were? universities? we didn't go there to learn. one becomes very clear about these things.
what are you asking for? forgiveness for her? or do you just want to feel better yourself? my advice, go to the theatre, if you want catharsis. please. go to literature. don't go to the camps. nothing comes out of the camps. nothing.
to do what?
when i was a little girl, i had a tea-tin for my treasures. not quite like this. it had cyrillic lettering. i took it with me to the camp, but it got stolen.
oh. sentimental things. a piece of hair from our dog. some tickets to operas my father had taken me to. it wasn't stolen for its contents. it was the tin itself which was valuable, what you could do with it.
there's nothing i can do with this money. if i give it to anything associated with the extermination of the jews, then to me it will seem like absolution and that is something i'm neither willing nor in a position to grant.
good.
good.
i'll be surprised if there isn't. there's a jewish organisation for everything. not that illiteracy is a very jewish problem.
why don't you find out? send them the money.
as you think fit.
i'll keep the tin.