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Sobibor - Holocaust Propaganda And Reality - Unity of Nobility ...

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J. GRAF, T. KUES, C. MATTOGNO, SOBIBÓR 59<br />

which was serving as a gas chamber had a little window on top<br />

through which Himmler could view with satisfaction the effect <strong>of</strong> a<br />

new gas.” (N. Blumental, ibid., p. 206)<br />

Zelda Metz reports:<br />

“Himmler came to Sobibór in late summer <strong>of</strong> 1943. In order to<br />

show him how efficiently the extermination camp was operating,<br />

7,500 beautiful young girls were brought in from [the Jewish camp<br />

on] Lipowa Street and executed in front <strong>of</strong> him.” (ibid., p. 211)<br />

While Leon Feldhendler has Himmler’s visit take place correctly in<br />

March <strong>of</strong> 1943 and is happy with 200 women gassed for the occasion,<br />

Zelda Metz dates the visit to “late summer <strong>of</strong> 1943” and makes the<br />

number <strong>of</strong> the victims a full 7,500!<br />

If we follow Toivi Blatt, the victims did not come from Lublin but<br />

from Wodawa. He writes: 85<br />

“SS-Oberscharführer Erich Bauer, in charge <strong>of</strong> the gassing<br />

process at Sobibór, concluded a demonstration gassing <strong>of</strong> over 300<br />

specially selected young Jewish girls from the nearby city <strong>of</strong><br />

Wodawa.”<br />

Yet another version is provided by Moshe Bahir, according to whom<br />

the “several hundred” victims came neither from Lublin nor from<br />

Wodawa but from Trawniki. 86<br />

Nearly every book about Sobibór mentions Himmler’s presence at<br />

the gassing <strong>of</strong> Jewish girls, although the dates and the number <strong>of</strong> victims<br />

vary. Claiming to quote from witness statements, B. Distel 87 and J.<br />

Schelvis 88 give the date <strong>of</strong> the visit as 12 February 1943, although the<br />

documents cited have it take place in March. This matter is symbolic,<br />

showing as it does how the orthodox historians operate. The story <strong>of</strong> the<br />

Reichsführer’s presence at a gassing <strong>of</strong> Jewish ladies also crops up in<br />

connection with Treblinka. The Polish Jewess Rachel Auerbach tells<br />

us: 89<br />

“It is said that on the occasion <strong>of</strong> his visit to Treblinka towards<br />

the end <strong>of</strong> February <strong>of</strong> 1943, a very special show was arranged for<br />

Himmler. A group <strong>of</strong> young women who had been specially selected<br />

for this event were herded into the ‘bath house’ – naked, so that the<br />

85<br />

86<br />

87<br />

88<br />

89<br />

T. Blatt, op. cit. (note 17), p. 12.<br />

M. Novitch, op. cit. (note 39), p. 156.<br />

B. Distel, op. cit. (note 69), p. 391.<br />

J. Schelvis, op. cit. (note 70), p. 111.<br />

Alexander Donat (ed.), The Death Camp Treblinka, <strong>Holocaust</strong> Library, New York 1979,<br />

p. 48.

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