One woman approached me as she walked past and, pointing to her four children who were manfully helping the smallest ones over the rough ground, whispered: 'How can you bring yourself to kill such beautiful, darling children? Have you no heart at all?' One old man, as he passed me, hissed: 'Germany will pay a heavy penance for this mass murder of the Jews.' His eyes glowed with hatred as he said this. Nevertheless he walked calmly into the gas-chamber.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker recounts victims questioning his humanity and predicting punishment, yet complying with execution.
- In plain terms
- Victims asked how he could kill children and warned of consequences, but still entered the gas chamber.
- What can you take from it?
- Victims often remained hopeful or resigned despite knowing the outcome.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Why do victims comply with death?
- How do you respond to direct moral challenges?
Another view
The speaker focuses on their calmness rather than the injustice.
More from Rudolf Hoss
You become hard when you carry out such orders.
Permalink to quote #5 This mass extermination, with all its attendant circumstances, did not, as I know, fail to affect those who took part in it. With very few exceptions, nearly a…
Permalink to quote #7 We cut the hair from women after they had been exterminated in the gas chambers. The hair was then sent to factories, when it was woven into special fittings f…
Permalink to quote #4
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