David Ehrlich survived Auschwitz as a young person. Like Judy Cohen (who spoke in Lesson Two), he also spoke to high school students participating in Holocaust Education Symposium held in Victoria, BC, Canada in 2000.

The Nazi SS were considered the elite soldiers of the German army. They were also had a reputation for being the most cruel. The SS ran, or supervised, many of the over 25 concentration/extermination camps that existed in Germany, Poland, Austria, Serbia, France, Ukraine, Croatia, Lithuania, Hungary, Latvia, Estonia, Belgium, the Netherlands and other European countries. (Source: "The Holocaust Chronicle", L. Weber Publications, 2000.)

If you had an opportunity to work at the camps run by the SS, would you? The obvious answer is no. But what if your survival was a stake? Would you do chores for the SS, knowing that you would be killed anyway if you didn't? Would you try to steal from them while working, and risk instant death if you were caught?

During the Holocaust, dilemmas like this could determine the difference between death and survival. In desperate times, sometimes there are no clear answers. How does one survive then?

Activate the video clip below to see what David did to survive as a young man in Auschwitz.

Please note: You need the free Quicktime Plug-in for Windows or Macintosh to see this movie.

When you are ready, select "Lesson Four" from the menu bar below.
It too is less than five minutes in length.