Belzec May 2005

Momument at entrance

The rocks are covering the mass grave. The center walkway leads to a wall engraved with the first names of all who were murdered here.

The Nazis had leveled this ground and planted trees to hide the destruction.

The entire area is covered with rocks lined with twisted metal.

Out of the death and rubble, life begins anew.

At the rear of the monument is a wall listing the first names of all who were murdered here. Cantor Taube found the names of his mom Ruchla and sister Pnina. He then cantored the prayers

of the dead for them. I didn’t want to photograph this extremely sad and emotional time.

This is the list of the shtetls that were completely wiped out in the gas chambers of Belzec.

The mother-in-law of one of the WQED producers, Naomi Samson, had escaped from the village of Goraj. She survived by hiding under the floorboards of the barn of a local family for 3 years. Her story is told in her

autobiography Hide.

600,000 Jews were murdered in 9 months at Belzec. Looking at their shoes that were preserved while their lives were destroyed deeply disturbed me.

October 27 & 28 were the dates Cantor Taube and his family were taken from Krakow.

Cantor Moshe Taube was signing the family registry for his mother and sister.