On her 22^nd birthday, Lenci Farkas stepped onto the train going to Auschwitz-Birkenau as angst crept through her body. No one could believe it; no one truly knew what would happen next. The Germans also forced Lenci’s cousins and sisters onto the train. They left their fortunate lives behind. Without a single belonging, Lenci entered a barrack of the most deplorable conditions, where they had to completely undress and were shaved everywhere on their bodies. One thousand women lived in each barrack, 10 people per bunk bed. They  had little to eat and drink, and what they did have consisted of poor quality. The Nazis stripped the Jews of all of their rights.[1]

Before deportation to Auschwitz-Birkenau, Lenci Farkas had a peaceful life and family. She was born May 18, 1922, in Kralovo Nad Tisou, Czechoslovakia. Her father was a businessman, builder, and efficient architect. Unfortunately, her mother passed away during childbirth, so her father remarried, bringing another daughter to the family. Lenci had eight sisters and one brother. There were 120 Jewish families and 5,000 inhabitants in her town. During school, no anti-Semitism occurred, and the overall community lived together amicably.

Quick Thinking Proves Life-Saving

One day in June 1944, Lenci Farkas found a sense of courage as the sun smiled in Auschwitz-Birkenau. She secretly started a fire to bake a potato, and everyone in the barrack stood around her. She knew she was not supposed to do anything like this, but she decided to take a chance. As the potato cooked, Lenci looked around her. Suddenly, the crowd that stood around her had vanished. Fear was in the air, but before she could think, an SS German officer came upon her. The officer brought her to the person in charge of that block, and Lenci expected the worst. As Lenci stepped in front of the SS officer, who had gorgeous blonde hair and flawless skin, she mustered the courage to say innocently, “You are so beautiful.”[2] With thoughts running everywhere through her mind, she figured she had nothing to lose. Surprisingly, the officer liked what Lenci had said. She told Lenci that she would let her off the hook,
but she could not tell anyone what happened. This was far beyond a rescue. Lenci had experienced her first miracle in her journey. But she still had a long way to go.

Passing the Inspection

A few months later, disease gripped Lenci’s body. Her sisters and cousins tried to hold her up so that she would not be exposed. Living in Auschwitz-Birkenau, Lenci caught scarlet fever, a disease that causes terrible earaches and high fevers. With the disease corrupting her body, she could not even bear to stand, but her sisters helped her as much as they could. The miserable, rainy weather took hold in October, and the scarlet fever finally started to drift away. Two doctors came to the camp to inspect all the Jews and see what “they were worth.” As Lenci waited for the doctor to inspect her, she grew anxious because she knew the effects of her disease showed on her peeling stomach. When it came time for inspection, Lenci covered her stomach with her clothes. In response, the doctor pointed at Lenci and said, “You need to come back and uncover your stomach.”[3] Lenci revealed her body, and the doctor passed her without a problem. Lenci felt something indescribable when she realized that the doctor did not notice the traces of her disease. This became the second miracle of her journey. 

Marching out of Hell

Winter settled in, and all Lenci wanted were paper and pencil to write down the year “1945.” Her shoes were worn out, and she had no extra clothing as she and the other women of Auschwitz-Birkenau marched deeper into Germany. The Russians were coming from the east.[4] As the death march dragged on, those who could not make it were left to die in ditches.[5] Lenci’s sister Isabel could not go on any further, and they had to do something. Everyone marched in line with two guards patrolling—one in front, the other in back. As Lenci, her niece, and her sisters continued marching, they noticed that the guards were not able to see the bend of the line. They decided to use this opportunity to escape.

Without anticipating what would happen next, they ran out of the line and cut through a backyard as quickly as they could. Feelings rushed through them as they reached liberation. Lenci discovered other Jews who had already escaped, and they all joined together to find food. The seven of them broke into a few houses and tried to keep security. A Ukrainian man on a bike rode by in the village and offered them work on a farm in exchange for food. They worked on the farm, milking cows and cleaning. However, when the Germans came back, Lenci and the other Jews had to leave. They hid in the loft and slept in the straw. The Germans found them hiding and asked them what they were doing. Lenci and the others fabricated a story. For some reason, the SS officers allowed them to work on the farm. On May 8, 1945, the war ended. Lenci went to Prague with help from the Russians. One of Lenci’s sisters wanted to stay in Prague. But Lenci, her niece, and her oldest sister returned to Romania to her old house. 

As Lenci walked into the house, she was devastated. The floor used to look white and spotless because her mother was very strict about cleaning. Now, the floor was black and filthy. Because she never had time to mourn her great losses, Lenci broke down for the first time since she left home. She did not stay in her village for very long. She met her husband, Morris, who was also an Auschwitz-Birkenau survivor. They married in Romania and had a son.

The Journey to Freedom

On December 28, 1947, a peasant smuggled Lenci and her family to the border of Hungary. There, they took the train to Kecskemét, where her sister lived. Lenci, her husband, son, her sister, and brother-in-law all went to Steier, Austria, to escape Communism. From there, they went to Vienna. Then, sponsored by the Jewish community, they set off for the United States. After nine months, Lenci and her family finally arrived in New York. They eventually came to San Francisco in October 1950.

Lenci Farkas survived a long, strenuous journey. She could not have made it without the astonishing miracles along the way. This was an unbelievable time for her, finally escaping persecution and finding her way toward happiness. She carries this experience with her, and it touches people when she shares it. She shows that even with odds working against someone, a person can still survive. It takes a lot of strength to go through what she endured, but her situation gave her a chance to improve the way she conducted her life. After hearing Lenci’s story, I understand what is needed to be changed in life. To this day, Lenci remains an inspiring person with only two feelings she never wants to experience again: “coldness and hunger.” [6]

Endnotes

[1]“Auschwitz,” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, last updated January 6, 2011, www.ushmm.org/wlc/en.

[2] Lenci Farkas, Interview by Hannah Olsen, note taking, The Home of Lenci Farkas, January 19-February 5, 2011

[3] Lenci Farkas, Interview by Hannah Olsen, note taking, The Home of Lenci Farkas, January 19-February 5, 2011

[4] Gutterman, Bella, To Bear Witness: Holocaust Remembrance at Yad Vashem (Jerusalem: Yad Vashem, 2005), 246-247.

[5] Berenbaum, Michael, The World Must Know: The History of The Holocaust As Told in The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (Washington, D.C., 1993), 182-183.

[6] Lenci Farkas, Interview by Hannah Olsen, note taking, The Home of Lenci Farkas, January 19-February 5, 2011

Bibliography

Berenbaum, Michael. The World Must Know: The History of The Holocaust
As Told in The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Washington,
D.C., 1993.

Gutterman, Bella. To Bear Witness: Holocaust Remembrance at Yad Vashem. Jerusalem: Yad Vashem, 2005.

Lenci Farkas, Interview by Hannah Olsen, note taking, The Home of Lenci Farkas, January 19-February 5, 2011.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “Auschwitz.” Last updated January 6, 2011. www.ushmm.org/wlc/en.