DOCUMENT 27.3
Leo Schneiderman Interview, 1990
When the Germans invaded Poland in 1939, Leo Schneiderman (b. 1921) and his family were confined to the Lodz ghetto. After the ghetto was liquidated in 1944, the Schneidermans were deported to Auschwitz. In this 1990 interview, Schneiderman described his arrival at Auschwitz, his encounter with Josef Mengele, and his last moments with his mother and younger brother.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
How did the selection process Schneiderman described contribute to the dehumanization of Auschwitz prisoners?
What does Schneiderman’s account tell us about the role of luck in survival at Auschwitz? Why have so many survivors had a hard time coming to terms with their good fortune?