CES OF AUSCHWITZ

Persecuted for her faith but she drew strength from it

ROUTE TO HELL Entrance to camp Memorial, which was a ethod of execution by the camp. one of approximately ldren and young people, an 18, among the 1.3 million were deported to Auschwitzom 1940 to 1945. he children who arrived in the part of various operations zis carried out against whole cial groups. ys: “Czeslawa’s photo is aring straight into the eyes tell a story of fear and few of us, in modern times, and or relate to. ression on her face has never e the first time I saw her.” Deliana, a Jehovah’s Witness, was arrested as she was going house-to-house preaching about her faith.

She was held briefly in several Dutch prisons before being deported to Auschwitz via Ravensbrück concentration camp. She registered as prisoner number 25563 on November 20, 1942.

Before her death on December 10 – just three weeks after arriving in Auschwitz – she wrote a final letter to her family. She said: “The ropes of the Grave surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me” and “Go bravely onwards without fear, Jehovah is with us, what can mere people do to us? Be valiant and fearless.”

In her portrait, Deliana had a purple badge sewn on to her right arm, which signified her faith.

Jehovah’s Witnesses refused to participate in military training or serve in the army. Their snub was often punished by imprisonment and sometimes death.

They also refused to perform any work that contributed directly to the war effort, so many of them were sent to the concentration camps.