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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2009
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Holocaust Tattoos Indelibly Link Fellow Survivors

Boys who stood side by side in Auschwitz meet again in Israel

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(Newser) – Menachem Sholowicz and Anshel Sieradzki don't remember crossing paths briefly in 1944, at perhaps the defining moment of their lives, but the ink on their arms leaves no doubt. Serial numbers the Nazis tattooed on each man's arm at Auschwitz are consecutive—Sholowicz is B-14594 and Sieradzki is B-14595. "I rolled up my sleeve and sure enough—I stood exactly ahead of him in line at Auschwitz," says Sholowicz.

The pair's life stories are as similar as their tattoos, something they only realized when meeting again this year in Israel. And though the tattoos are permanent reminders of a painful time, their interactions have been surprisingly joyful. Seeing that familiar serial number "was a moment of great emotion, great excitement," says Sholowicz. "We went through it all together. We are like two parallel lines that never met."

In this Jan. 17, 2005 file photo, railway tracks lead to the former Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camp in Oswiecim, southern Poland.
In this Jan. 17, 2005 file photo, railway tracks lead to the former Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camp in Oswiecim, southern Poland.   (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, File)
This file picture of 1956 shows the WWII war criminal Josef Mengele. The two men who reunited in Israel were both selected by Mengele as fit to work in Auschwitz, and thus avoided the gas chambers.
This file picture of 1956 shows the WWII war criminal Josef Mengele. The two men who reunited in Israel were both selected by Mengele as fit to work in Auschwitz, and thus avoided the gas chambers.   (AP Photo, file)
Auschwitz survivor Mr. Leon Greenman, prison number 98288, displays his number tattoo on December 9, 2004 at the Jewish Museum in London, England.
Auschwitz survivor Mr. Leon Greenman, prison number 98288, displays his number tattoo on December 9, 2004 at the Jewish Museum in London, England.   (Getty Images)
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The moment I meet someone who was there with me, who went through what I went through, who saw what I saw, who felt what I felt—at that moment we are brothers. - Anshel Sieradzk, 81, on meeting the man who was tattooed just before him

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8 comments
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anchower
Apr 19, 09 6:17 PM CDT
I don't mean to be hardhearted, but enough with the damn Holocaust. At some point, you just have to stop bitching. In this case, I think after the Six Day War would've been a good cease-whining time. So many other peoples have suffered on scales even greater than the European Jewry's (eg, American Indians), and you barely ever hear a peep out of them. Why? BECAUSE THEY'RE ALMOST EXTINCT. Reply
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NutsInNY
Apr 19, 09 6:28 PM CDT
This comment is beyond belief.
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mak
Apr 19, 09 9:24 PM CDT
i agree with nutsinny (hi, nuts, i don't know if you remember me, you called me a fuckwad last week. hope you're well). there's no bitching here-they said the reunion was surprisingly joyful. and sure, there's always someone who suffered more, but does that negate everyone else's hurt? i know, how about you go to a concentration camp and starve and lose your family and face extermination. then how about you don't bitch about that? Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
NutsInNY
Apr 19, 09 10:59 PM CDT
AGREED, mak... To quote a famous Jew, "Live long and prosper." -- NiNY
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IN RESPONSE:
anchower
Apr 20, 09 3:28 PM CDT
How about I go to a concentration camp then get liberated (albeit accidentally), then GO ON TO STEAL SOMEBODY'S ELSE'S COUNTRY AND KICK EVERYBODY IN THE REGION'S ASS AND HAVE THE U.S. BACK ME UP EVEN WHEN IT'S AGAINST AMERICAN INTERESTS? Idiot.
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