Sam Pivnik facts for kids
Sam Pivnik (born Szmuel Pivnik) was a brave Holocaust survivor, author, and storyteller. He was born on September 1, 1926, in Będzin, a town in Poland. Sam passed away in London on August 30, 2017, just two days before his 91st birthday. He was the second son of Lajb and Feigel Pivnik.
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Early Life and the Holocaust
Sam's family was Jewish. Because of this, they were forced to live in a special area called the Kamionka Ghetto in Będzin starting in early 1943. On August 6, 1943, Sam and his family were sent to Auschwitz II-Birkenau, a very dangerous concentration camp. Sadly, his parents, younger sister Chana, and younger brothers Meir, Wolf, and Josef were killed as soon as they arrived. His older sister Hendla survived for a short time before she was also killed.
Life in Auschwitz
When Sam arrived at Auschwitz, he was given the prisoner number 135913, which was tattooed on him. After about two weeks in a "Quarantine" area, he was made to work in the Rampkommando. This job involved unloading trains after the new prisoners had been taken away. This difficult work sometimes allowed him to find food and valuable items from the prisoners' luggage. He used these things to help himself stay fed and to bribe the prisoner-overseers, which helped him survive.
Surviving Illness and Work Details
On December 27, 1943, Sam got very sick with suspected typhus and was taken to the prisoner hospital. He managed to survive several "selections," which were times when sick or weak prisoners were chosen to be killed. On January 11, 1944, he was moved to the main prisoners' hospital at Auschwitz.
After he got better from typhus, Sam was chosen for a work group. He was sent to KL Auschwitz III/Fürstengrube, which was a coal mine. There, he worked on construction and was even made a Vorarbeiter, which means an overseer. During his time at Auschwitz, he saw famous and feared figures like Otto Moll and Josef Mengele.
The Death March and Further Camps
On January 19, 1945, the camp at Fürstengrube was emptied because the Red Army was getting close. Prisoners who were strong enough were forced to march to a train station in Gleiwitz. Many prisoners who were too weak to walk were shot by SS guards. After a nine-day train journey with no extra food, Sam's group arrived at KL Dora-Mittelbau on January 28, 1945.
He spent the next three months doing construction work. Then, he and about 200 other prisoners from Fürstengrube were moved by barge along the River Elbe to Holstein in northern Germany. In Holstein, the prisoners were made to work on farms. Sam himself worked at a farm in Neuglasau.
The Cap Arcona Disaster
In early May 1945, Sam and other former prisoners were marched to the port of Neustadt. On May 3, 1945, they were forced onto a former German cruise ship called the Cap Arcona. This ship was being used as a floating prison for concentration camp prisoners, along with other ships like the Thielbek.
Just hours after Sam boarded, the ships were attacked by planes from the Royal Air Force. Both the Cap Arcona and Thielbek caught fire and sank. Sam was on an upper deck, so he was able to jump from the burning ship and swim to shore. Out of about 7,000 prisoners on the two ships, fewer than 500 survived.
Later Life and Legacy
Sam Pivnik was finally freed by the British Army in Neustadt on May 4, 1945. He later wrote a book about his experiences called Survivor – Auschwitz, The Death March and My Fight for Freedom. This book was published on August 30, 2012. Sam passed away exactly five years later, on August 30, 2017, in London. His story helps us remember the terrible events of the Holocaust and the strength of those who survived.
