Holocaust survivor, 92, recalls harrowing moment he wished his fellow Auschwitz inmates would die just so he could steal their clothes - as he tells all in chilling BBC documentary
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A Jewish Holocaust survivor who was imprisoned at the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp during World War II has recalled how he and his fellow inmates were stripped of their humanity during their internment. Ivor Perl, 92, reflected on the desperate situation inside the Nazi death camp, sharing his experiences in the new 30-minute BBC One documentary 'What Happened at Auschwitz' on Monday night.
In March 1944, at the age of 12, Ivor was deported to the camp in southern Poland from his native Hungary along with his parents and seven siblings. Only Ivor and one brother, Alec, survived. Speaking to journalist Jordan Dunbar, he shared how prisoners 'weren't human beings anymore' due to the horrific treatment they endured.
Reflecting on the desperate situation inside the Nazi death camp, Ivor explained: 'Eventually, when you used to go to bed, you hoped that the person who lived next to you died overnight.'. 'Why?', he continued: 'You could pinch his shoes or his clothes. We were not human beings anymore.'.
Ivor also described the terrible journey that the family were forced to take as they arrived at the camp. Remembering the packed cattle carts that were used to transport Jews to Auschwitz, Ivor added: 'Death happened on the train, illness happened, and I can't describe it because I can't see any point in describing the dehumanisation that we lived for the few days that we were on board.'.