The Youngest Victims of Auschwitz
Children in Auschwitz were among the most vulnerable victims of the Holocaust. Auschwitz has become the symbol of Nazi terror, where more than one million people were murdered – including tens of thousands of children whose fate illustrates both the brutality of Nazi ideology and the human capacity for cruelty. Their fate illustrates both the brutality of Nazi ideology and the human capacity for cruelty. According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, over one million Jewish children were murdered across Europe, and Auschwitz was one of the central sites of this destruction.
Deportations and Selections on the Ramp
From 1942 onwards, entire families were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau in crowded cattle cars. Upon arrival, children were torn from their parents and forced to line up on the ramp. Infants and young children were almost always sent directly to their deaths. Only teenagers deemed fit for forced labour might survive initial selection. Most children arriving in Auschwitz were sent directly to death in the selections and gas chambers. The ramp at Birkenau thus became a place where thousands of young lives ended within hours of arrival.
Life Inside the Camp
For the few children who survived the first selection, daily life in the camp was filled with hunger, exhaustion, disease, and constant fear. Some were used as forced labourers, while others were kept alive only to become subjects of medical experiments. The mortality rate among registered children was extremely high, as rations and conditions were designed for adults, and medical care was virtually non-existent. Survival often depended on chance and on the help of other prisoners who tried to protect the youngest.
Medical Experiments on Children
One of the darkest chapters of Auschwitz history involved medical experiments, especially on twins. Dr. Josef Mengele became infamous for his pseudo-scientific studies, which often resulted in mutilation or death. These experiments, carried out on children, left survivors with lifelong physical and psychological scars. Mengele was part of the SS in Auschwitz: Commandants, Guards and Doctors, whose role was not only administering the camp but also facilitating systematic atrocities. Among the most documented cases are the experiences of Eva Mozes Kor and her twin sister Miriam, who survived but carried the trauma throughout their lives.
Births in Auschwitz and the Story of the Midwife
Amid the destruction, there were rare stories of humanity and courage. One of the most remarkable figures was Stanisława Leszczyńska, a Polish midwife and prisoner in Auschwitz. Despite the appalling conditions, she assisted in thousands of births in the camp, refusing to take part in the Nazi orders to kill newborns. Many of the infants did not survive, as the SS either murdered them or left them to die, but her defiance became a symbol of resistance and compassion within a place of systematic death. Leszczyńska’s testimony after the war is a powerful reminder that even in Auschwitz there were acts of humanity.
Romani and Sinti Children in Auschwitz
Besides Jewish children, thousands of Romani and Sinti children were deported to Auschwitz. In 1943, the Nazis established a so-called “Zigeunerlager” (Gypsy family camp) at Birkenau, where entire families, including children, were imprisoned together. Conditions were catastrophic – hunger, epidemics and lack of medical care claimed many young lives. In August 1944, the family camp was liquidated: almost 3,000 Romani children, women and men were murdered in the gas chambers. The fate of Romani children in Auschwitz shows that the genocide of Europe’s Roma population was part of the same Nazi racial policy that targeted Jews.
Hungarian Jewish Children, Summer 1944
The largest wave of deportations of children to Auschwitz came in 1944, during the destruction of Hungarian Jewry. Between May and July, about 430,000 Jews were transported from Hungary, including tens of thousands of children. Most of them were killed immediately upon arrival. Photographs taken clandestinely and later recovered, including the so-called “Auschwitz Album,” show mothers with children walking towards the gas chambers at Birkenau. These images remain one of the starkest visual records of the extermination process.
Survivors and Testimonies
Although most children in Auschwitz perished, some survived to tell their stories. Tova Friedman, one of the youngest survivors of Auschwitz, recalled her memories of the selections and the liberation in January 1945. Testimonies from children who lived through the camp are vital records that counter denial and ensure the memory of these crimes endures. Their voices remind us that behind every number was a child with a name, a family, and a stolen future.
Memory and Remembrance
Today, the history of children in Auschwitz is part of educational programmes, exhibitions, and memorials. Preserving their memory is central to Holocaust remembrance, reminding future generations of the human cost of hatred and indifference. As we walk through the ruins of Birkenau, the silence of the site stands as a stark reminder of the lives cut short.
Remembering the Children
The children of Auschwitz symbolise the complete vulnerability of the victims of Nazi terror. Their stories of suffering and survival highlight the need for remembrance and education. Learning about their fate ensures that their voices are not silenced and that such crimes will never be forgotten.